I'm loving your videos. While I'm not doing a working railroad, I am working on mini towns for holidays and whatnot that do include trains. I've made them for years, but love learning new techniques! I'm thinking about trying to get into working railroad/model train stuff. My husbands uncle is in the railroad business. He sells parts to big railroad companies. It's really interesting to learn about. I enjoyed hearing the technical "stuff" that you spoke about in this video 🙂 thank you! I hope you continue to make videos! They've been very helpful.

Best model train layout video I have seen! Great. explanation. Thank you from South Carolina, USA

Makes perfect sense and it was only a few weeks ago I thought of the same thing for my 1m x 630mm narrow gauge layout I am designing, where I want to have a grade. Thanks for the great video.

Literally for a year I have been struggling to make sense of how to create depth/height in a layout, and despite observing many many examples in person (wonderful examples as well, definitely not their fault) my brain simply could not make it make sense. I just got so excited after watching this as it all has seemingly snapped into place. Thank you so much for this incredibly detailed yet simple to understand video!!

Brilliant solution. Was struggling with slops that were to steep. This solves my problem.

I like the low level filming...which shows how you have managed to make this more interesting than a flat layout..great work...

Thanks for the video Anthony. Seeing how the elevation worked in your layout was especially helpful.

Cool vid Anthony, love your explanation how to achieve these different grades inside the 2% incline/decline. Absolutely agree with you on your point that the different elevations will provide a very interesting perspective, with tracks paralleling on several levels. Cheerio

I'm just starting my first layout (6" X 12"), so I'm learning thru KZfaq. This video is the single most helpful information that I've seen. Thank you!

Wow Anthony, explained very well. I made the mistake of not doing this but quickly realized it and trying to rectify when possible. Now I have a helix that trains climb without much effort because I kept it to a grade 2.2 but in my layout, I have grades edging 3. When I get a chance to do my video on my helix build, I will include this video link for added benefits for the viewers. cheers mate, Darshan

Great new update today lot's of detail .Hope there more to come.

Thanks! I think that your diagram doesn't yet show the second 2" layer of foam board. Ps I'll look for a running video as the finalè of your built layout.

Thank you, good explanation. Helpful….

Great explanation!!!

Fascinating topic. A little bit of optics. A little bit of math. A little bit of physics. Ultimately it's illusionary and creativity. Definitely are not worthy topic. Thank you.

Superb info thank you . New subscriber.

Anthony, thanks so very much. I’m new to the hobby (at 54!) and so I’m learning as I go. I had recently seen your layout video in which you described this solution and was intrigued. So I was very pleased to see this detailed treatment. Would it be possible for you to share your layout track plan? Best regards, Bryan

Thanks raju it's very useful for me thanks a lot

The way you've arranged your multiple levels is clever, but it does not reduce the grade between the entrance to your tunnel and the track above it. Those two tracks appear to be joined through turnouts at the opposite end of your layout (left side of the layout from the perspective of the video), that is, you've effectively folded the grade into a switchback there, so the total grade would be determined from the elevation change between the rail height at the tunnel entrance and the rail height at the track above it, divided by the total track distance between them (the total switchback). Instead, you suggest in the video that the grade is cut in half because you're only measuring the height difference between the mid level and either the upper or lower track, but I assure you that if you do the measurements and the math for the elevation change from your mid-level to either the tunnel entrance or the track above it (doesn't matter which), you'll see that the grade is still the same as would be required for the height difference between those tracks anyway (you've cut both the height change AND the distance in half, so the result is that you haven't cheated the grade); going downslope on one leg and upslope on another does not reduce the grade; the grade between two points will always be the vertical distance divided by the horizontal distance. You can't cheat physics (though it would indeed be nice to be able t oin this hobby).