Broithe

Yeah, that's it - I didn't want to inflict the maths aspect onto a (potentially?) innocent person. It's the basis of the 'orange peel' whole globe maps that we used to see a lot years ago - avoiding the shape/area distortions of the landmasses that Mercator would create much north of here... You only need to to be very approximate, in terms of surface shape - the smoothness is the main issue. I did a layout for an old boy years ago - it had a 'corner in the sky' at one end, but we bent a sheet of hardboard for a one-foot-radius at the other end and the effect was far superior. Just 2D, but well worth the slight effort.

This is the sort of thing I had in mind. You wouldn't have to achieve an accurate spherical shape, just a smooth transition between the three planes in each corner. I stuck them in there to dry them and keep them dry. They would almost light just by banging them together...

That seems a plausible approach - but, it might take a bit of 'development'. Or, you could remove "wedges" and form the spherical surface in the manner of a carvel-built boat?

There could well be other similar items which could be repurposed - blow-moulded spherical tanks, etc. You wouldn't require transparency. It's a matter of keeping your eyes open.

I got no emails for either of yours, but I don't really rely on on them, the site pop-ups were there for both, I'm sure. The most recent email PM alert that I can find in the bin is from Sven E on Dec 8th.

Someone gave me a large Perspex sphere years ago - about 700mm diameter - it's from an ornamental street lamp. It looked 'useful', but I've never really found a use for it - it gets used as a cloche, mostly, when it isn't blowing around the place. Something like that could be chopped up to form 3D corners?

The front one has the 'look' of a Ford Model 40 'Fordor'?

I had a couple of PMs over the last few days and am set up for email alerts and the pop-up window. I found them due to the 'window' alert, but there is no sign of any email - in mail, spam or bin. This isn't an issue for me really, to be honest, just info in relation to the above. I have definitely had email PM alerts in the past.

Some things just 'look wrong'. I think the real Manors look 'wrong'. Like biplanes with the top wing behind the bottom one. As wrong as going to a cinema in daylight. It does look correctly 'wrong', though.

I did something along those lines in Lidl a couple of weeks ago. I had gone for supplies - "not buying any beer this week!" - but there was a woman there who wanted just a single can of Guinness for her Christmas cake - of course there were only 4, 8 and 12 can multipacks available. For some reason, the 8-pack had the lowest unit price, so I got one and gave her one of the cans. On my return home, I expected to be strongly congratulated on my high sense of seasonal goodwill - but, of course, it looked like I had just bought beer anyway - and I'd, obviously, also drunk a can on the way home... Bah, humbug!

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/routine-safety-failure-blamed-for-train-crash-26195647.html

Depending on how you are operating the point, you may not actually need the spring to be there at all.

Broken - or distorted? If it's distorted, can you re-bend it to shape? If it has dislodged, can you replace it properly? There are lots of videos on YouTube, depending upon what the problem actually is. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cDTLbJzBnZM/VLASkU2wZDI/AAAAAAAAHvc/ARdk83mBTns/s1600/Peco%2BSL-8352-1mc.jpg

Is this the biasing spring? Or one of the "switch blades"?

There is no perfect solution. You just need to select one that is adequate for your application. You can even have corrosion issues, from the junction between dissimilar metals. A lot of us will have suffered from having a screw loose now and then...

For a line that has seemed to be 'at risk' for the whole of living memory, it has survived quite well...

https://www.facebook.com/angardasiochana/photos/pcb.10159648116608001/10159648112353001/

Warning! Contains large amounts of yellow paint.

Last time I looked at the conditions of the Gaugemaster guarantee, it boiled down to "If you have one that doesn't work, we'll fix it or replace it" - no 'proof of purchase', timescale, or any other issue - if it breaks, they'll fix it - (but, it won't break, of course, so they can say that fairly safely).

If the Hornby controller is one of these - - then they are a fairly poor device. The output, particularly at the lower settings, is very 'choppy', electrically, and it may upset the more modern motor systems - possibly. Also, they have a thermal cut-out in them, for safety reasons, but the component used for this can have very variable responses, sometimes they are OK, but I had one that could only be used in the garage, in the winter - in the house, or if the Sun came out, it would quickly 'think it was over-heated' and turn itself off. I'm a fan of the Gaugemaster devices - fine, if you're going to stay DC - and they can sometimes be picked up second-hand, as people go DCC. Edit - Ah, I see that the controller is one of these - - I've never used one of those, but I wonder if it is just a 'repackaged' casing, with the original components within?

It's good that the guarantee is still valid. Keep an eye on things and keep us informed - thanks.

Image reversal 'to fit the page layout' is a modern plague. The Screwfix catalogue used to be full of pictures of woodscrews with left-handed threads, as if anybody has ever made one.

A Class picture reversed? Or the platform clock ten minutes slow?