I downloaded it in late 90s but I suspect it was from earlier in that decade. On the demo version - which is all I had - you could drive an Amtrak (I think) train of some kind... somewhere. I'm pretty sure you drove it using the numeric keypad and the sound effects such as they were came through the PC speaker. I've got a really really vague feeling ze Germans were involved somehow too, either cause they developed it or the full version had an ICE in or something, but this could be total nonsense. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? ChatGPT certainly doesn't! Can't for the life of me find it or its name or anything.
You're not talking about MSTS, are you ? I remember, as soon as you left urban areas, there was barely any scenery at all... That seems long ago, seen from today...
I don't think this is a serious post but just on the offchance it is - it's wayyy before that technologically although maybe not temporally. I can't remember if you could launch it from Windows but it defintiely ran in DOS mode. There was only a cab view and we're certainly not talking photo realistic either, even by the standards of the time. I'm actually quite surprised I can't find it, it would have been niche but not ludicrously so.