Train simulator

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v t e

A train simulator (also railroad simulator or railway simulator) is a computer based

• Avansim, based in the UK and Germany[1]
• Transurb Simulation,^[2] a Belgian-based company
• FAAC (the training division of Arotech Corporation) in the United States ^[3]
• Ongakukan in Japan^[4]
• EADS in Germany^[5]
• Bentley Systems in the UK^[6]
• Lander Simulation & Training Solutions, Spain^[7][8]
• CORYS,^[9] a French company with offices in Grenoble, France and Jacksonville, FL, USA
• Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co KG (KMW),^[10] a German company based in Munich
• Oktal Sydac^[11] in Australia, France, India and the UK
• SMART Simulatation^[12] - part of the Neokon Baltija group from Lithuania with offices in the UK and Russia.
• New York Air Brake, an American company based in Watertown, NY.^[13]
• PS Technology, an American company based in Boulder, CO.^[14]

Signaller training simulators have been developed by Funkwerk in Germany,^[15][16] The Railway Engineering Company (TRE) in the UK,^[17][18] OpenTrack Railway Technology in Switzerland,^[19][20] and PS Technology in the US.^[21]

Types of train simulators

There are various types of train driving simulators that are adapted to varying training needs and can be combined to meet operators' training needs in the most efficient way.

Full-cabin simulators

Similarly to flight simulators, train simulators can be a replica of a full driving cabin, on a one-to-one scale. This type of simulator is opted for when a train operator needs an immersive training tool for particularly effective training sessions.^[22]

Intermediate, more compact simulators

Certain simulators can uphold a certain level of immersion while optimising the space of a training room. When a certain balance between immersion and scalability is needed, this type of simulator is chosen by instructors.^[23]

Portable simulators

When a train operator has various training centres, it is sometimes easier and more logical to invest in smaller simulators that can be transported from one centre to another.^[24] The company Transurb Simulation was the first to propose such a tool, which has now been adopted by many operators around the world and is becoming of a growing interest for smaller operators.

Consumer train simulation

Many consumer train simulations have been produced, often focusing on different aspects of real-life railways.

Driving simulation

Train driving simulation games usually allow a user to have a "driver's view" from the locomotive's cab and operate realistic cab controls such as throttle, brake valve, sand, horn and whistle, lights etc.

Train driving simulation software includes:

• BVE Trainsim (originally Boso View Express^[25][26][27]) is a Japanese three-dimensional computer-based train simulator.^[27] It is notable for focusing on providing an accurate driving experience^[27][28][29] as viewed from inside the cab, rather than creating a network of other trains—There are no outside views, drivers can only look directly ahead, and other trains passed along the route are only displayed as stationary objects.^[27][30][31]
• Densha de Go!, a Japanese train simulation game series focused on driving, developed by Taito.
• Diesel Railcar Simulator, a train simulator focusing on British diesel-mechanical
  railcars
  .
• Microsoft Train Simulator (MSTS), developed by Kuju Entertainment.
  • Open Rails, an open source, freeware simulator that is backwards compatible with Microsoft Train Simulator content.
• Rail Simulator, a spiritual successor to MSTS also developed by Kuju Entertainment.
• Train Simulator (originally RailWorks), a successor to Rail Simulator created when a new company, Rail Simulator Developments Ltd, purchased the rights. In 2013 RSDL rebranded themselves as Dovetail Games
  , and renamed Railworks to simply Train Simulator.
  • Train Sim World, a successor to the above developed by Dovetail Games using the Unreal Engine.
• Run8, a primarily
  multiplayer
  train simulator focused on realistic North American freight operations.
• Train Simulator series (a.k.a. Railfan)
• Trainz
• Mechanik EN57^[32] and MaSzyna,^[33] freeware train simulators mainly focusing on Polish mainline rolling stock.
• Train Sim, a mobile phone Train Simulator developed by 3583 Bytes using the
  Unity Engine
  .

The PC game

• Flight simulator – contains reference to flight simulators
• Strategy computer game

References