A portable train simulator, including a microprocessor, a display and an input device for the microprocessor. A first program drives the display to depict indicia of a control stand and to respond to control inputs from the input device. A second program drives the display to depict a track to be traversed from a data file in response to the control inputs. A virtual control stand is one of the elements that allows the true portability of a train simulator. The system can display and switch between the present operating parameters of the train and/or a history of the operating parameters of the train, as selected by the input device. Thus, the system can switch from playback mode to simulation mode to provide a take-over of recorded conditions to allow an operator to explore alternate methods for managing the train.