A-Train

The first game in the A-Ressha de Ikou (“Let’s Take the A-Train”) series, which would eventually become known overseas as A-Train. The goal of the game is to build a prosperous railroad company. Unlike the second (Railroad Empire) and third (A-Train) games in the series, the original A-Ressha de Ikou never saw an international release.

Some of the games influenced by later entries in this series include the SimCity series (and in turn the wider Sim/Sims franchise) and the Railroad Tycoon series (and in turn, the wider Sid Meier franchise).

A-Ressha de Ikou may not have been the first railroad simulation, however, as it was anticipated by the relatively obscure Squaresoft game Amtrack, which released just months before it.