AP Sky Accurate Time of Day

Program Synopsis
The 2D skies in Train Simulator Classic are only accurate for four days a year (one in each season) and for one location in the UK. This program allows them to be accurate for every day of the year, no matter where the route/scenario is in the world. You can drive with the correct sun/moon trajectories, sun/moon rise/set times, lighting, sky colours and adhesion based on the scenario date and location, whilst using the skies from the Armstrong Powerhouse Sky & Weather Enhancement Pack 2.0. Due to its complex nature, it is essential that you read the manual before attempting to use this program.

Please note that because Quick Drive scenarios do not show up in the scenario list like Career, Standard and Free Roam scenarios do, they are NOT SUPPORTED by this program. They are made by the simulator when you click to load into them, so it's not possible to select them beforehand.

Detailed Description
Train Simulator Classic has two systems for the sky/weather: a 2D Time of Day (TOD) system, and a 3D dynamic system using SilverLining.

The 2D system is from the original Train Simulator Classic release and comes with several limitations. Firstly, the lighting, sun/moon trajectories, and sunrise/set and moonrise/set times are all set on a per-season basis for one specific latitude, meaning any scenario set as summer will have the exact same sun/moon trajectories and timings. This particularly becomes an issue for scenarios set in winter months, where the sun should set between 4pm and 5pm (in the UK), but the season chosen in the scenario is spring to prevent there being snow on the ground, which gives a sunset time of 5:45pm. On the contrary, the 2D system is visually far more flexible and customisable, which is why Armstrong Powerhouse use it for their Sky & Weather Enhancement Pack 2.0.

The 3D system was introduced in Train Simulator 2015 under the Dynamic Clouds option. It improves upon the 2D system by dynamically setting the sun/moon trajectories and timings based on the scenario date and location, as well as having actual 3D clouds which move and cast shadows, compared to a static texture for the 2D system. However, it has less customisation and has other limitations, such as clouds not rendering in the distance.

This program gives you the best of both systems by combining the superior visuals and choice of sky/weather from the 2D system with the dynamic nature of the 3D system. This provides the most realistic sky/weather representation in Train Simulator Classic. Using the Sky & Weather Enhancement Pack 2.0 from Armstrong Powerhouse as a base (required for this program to function), it allows you to select which scenario you want to drive before you load it and updates the sun/moon trajectories and times to match the scenario date and location, just like the 3D system does by default. It will also set the lighting, sky colours and adhesion (on Armstrong Powerhouse rolling stock add-ons) to match the scenario date, rather than it being based on the season that is chosen in the scenario editor. For example, if you have a scenario with a date in January (northern hemisphere), but the season is set to spring so that there is no snow on the ground, the program will use lighting, sky colours and adhesion that is applicable to winter, rather than spring, to make it even more realistic.

The table below shows which lighting, sky colours and adhesion will be used, based on the scenario date.

There are a number of factors which could cause a specific route or scenario to generate an error message when using the program. Whilst the program has been thoroughly tested on multiple systems, it is impossible for us to test every route and scenario combination, so if you encounter any issues whilst using the program, please fill out the Google Form here, providing as much detail as possible.