Can You Run Model Trains On Carpet


Model trains are one of the finer pleasures of life. From the time you were a child, you loved watching the trains go around the track with authentic sounds pouring from the locomotive. The problem that you would always seem to run into is track unevenness, animals running your set off the track, and the little wheels getting stuck due to dirt and debris. You are probably wondering why all these problems happen, which leads to the question of can you run model trains on carpet?

No! Experience shows you never want to run your trains on any carpeted surface. The fibers get into the wheels, and dust from the fibers piles up on the track causing bad connections. The train will not run smoothly across the tracks that sink into the carpet as the box cars travel over it.

The excitement that grabs ahold of you when opening the box to your train set is hard to resist. It would be so simple to set the train up in the middle of the carpeted floor so you could run it right now. But it is not the best available option, and it should actually never be an option. If you want to learn how to solve this problem, keep reading.

Setting Your Train Set Up On The Floor

Setting your model train on the floor is not the best place, but there are situations when it is the only way for you to have it. Even then, you never want to place it on the carpet or in the center of a walkway, where it can quickly get damaged. There are a couple of options to ensure that your train is not damaged by the fibers or the dust.

  • Wood – The easiest way to solve this problem is to place a piece of wood on the floor underneath the train tracks. You will want a full sheet of plywood or particle board to give yourself a solid base. If it is not big enough, you can build