The Story of Forest Rail Route Add-On

Mountainous islands and volcanic plateaus command the beautiful new ‘The Story of Forest Rail’ for Train Simulator, with its unique story –based scenarios and stunning Japanese buildings.

This stunning new route from Union Workshop bases its story on the now defunct Furusato Ginga Line with different station names and fictional towns – now called the ‘Matsuhara Line’.

Constructed in the late 1890s and connecting Matsuhara with Asashikawa Forest, the line used to be operated by local forestry company for timber transportation. Scheduled passenger services were introduced in 1912 when more people moved into the area following development of the forestry industry.

After World War II, logging camps began to close and traffic ceased in the 1960s with some parts of the line also being closed. However, in the late 1990s as tourism began to rise, passenger services re-started when the line was bought by a local businessman.

The real-life Furusato Ginga Line was most recently operated by the Hokkaido Chihoku Kōgen Railway Company until its closure in 2006. The first section of the line connected Ikeda and Rikunbetsu and was opened in September 1910. In 1987, with the line extended north to Abashiri, Japanese National Railways was privatised and JR Hokkaido took over management of the line. However, as traffic dwindled, the last owners of the line - Hokkaidō Chihoku Kōgen Railway Company – ceased operations on 21 April 2006.

Featuring custom-built Japanese buildings and trackside detailing, prototypical signalling and 15 stations along its main line and branch line, The Story of Forest Rail brings a unique feel to Train Simulator with its story based scenarios and two distinctive railbuses – the Kiha 750 and Kiha 720.

Includes:

• Fictional ‘Matsuhara Line’ between Matsuhara and Asashikawa Forest
• Based on Furusato Ginga Line
• Unique story-based scenarios
• 15 stations
• Japanese buildings and trackside detailing
• Prototypical Japanese signalling
• Kiha 750 and Kiha 720 railbuses
• Standard and career scenarios for the route
• Free roam scenarios
• Quick Drive compatible