Couplers (or not?) for carpet

[MacMasta]

I'm looking for thoughts on couplers for running on carpet.

Details: I've encircled my living room with EZ-Track. Because it's carpet, the track isn't exactly flat everywhere, and stuff like to come uncoupled (I have EZ-mate couplers, as they came with). By eyeballing it, it's clear that the problem is changes in height (so that they come apart vertically) rather than anything else.

I'm curious how people have handled this before. "Put it on an actually-flat surface" isn't an option. I thought about epoxying the couplers together, but that just seems like a bad idea.

Thoughts?

[uncbob]

I don't think there is much you can do
If the couplers didn't come undone the car trucks  would lift up from the track and you would derail

[OldTimer]

You're right, that's a bad idea.   Look, at some point you have to have some sort of standards.  The coupler standards happen to have pretty close tolerances.  but those standards insure interoperability among several different brands of couplers for the majority of us who get our trains up off the floor.  

If you can't get some sort of sub-roadbed under your track and have to run your trains on the floor, you might be better served with large scale or tinplate.  Bachmann makes both.   I have run an LGB train on the carpet under the Christmas tree for years with no problems, but it's designed for that kind of use.  

By the way, there is a company--I don't remember the name, nor do I know if they are still in business--that makes a shelf system designed for putting a train below the ceiling but above the tops of the doors and windows.  You could design your own shelves if you can't find them pre-fab.  Hope this helps.  Good Luck.
Old Timer

[full maxx]

you could always cut some strips of 1/2 in plywood a little wider than the track to put under the track, two layers so you can screw them together...that would fix any issues with the change in height

[MacMasta]

Thank you everyone for the thoughts. Putting plywood down, I'm afraid, would be a terrific pain, and my landlord might be suspicious of my drilling too many holes in his walls...

I'm curious to know if anybody has fabbed couplers that don't actually come apart. I'm envisioning something with quite a bit of give (say, a piece of wire or fishing line ), to allow up-and-down and side-to-side movements without coming apart. Modeling accuracy isn't a concern, as I doubt sofas at 87 times life size are a particularly common form of railroad scenery...

[ABC]

Kadees are the best couplers there are, so equip all your rolling stock and locos, they're metal and run about $3 a pair. Also, running on the carpet or floor even with roadbed track (like E-Z track) is not a good idea and requires more cleaning of the track and locos and the possibility of fibers ruining the locos.

[MacMasta]

ABC: based on pictures, it's not clear that Kadee couplers will solve my problem; too much up-and-down movement looks like it could still decouple.

I'm aware of the extra maintenance issues for running on carpet; I'll keep my eye on things.

[jward]

have you checqued out the hook and loop type couplers used on the thomas trains?

[OldTimer]

Kadee makes a functional "shelf" coupler.  These are couplers designed to resist separating due to relative vertical movement of cars.  In the real world, they are used on passenger cars and tank cars to prevent the train from coming apart and scattering cars across the landscape during a derailment.  The couplers are Kadee model 118.

Having said that, I have to tell you that I don't think these will work for you.  Something has to compensate for the undulations in the track.  If the couplers can't move relative to each other, the cars will derail.  However, at something like four bucks for two pair, I'd be tempted to try these on a couple of cars just to see what would happen.  They will mate with your EZ-mate couplers just fine.  Good luck!!!
Old Timer

[RAM]

I think what maxx was saying with the two layers of the plywood was offsetting them and screw them together.  This would not put holes in anything other than the plywood.  I think I would drill holds in the plywood and use bolts with wingnuts.  That would make it easy to install and take down.

[MacMasta]

@jward: I have not; from the pictures, it's not clear what, exactly, I'm looking at, or if they could be adapted. Do you have some? Could you enlighten me?

@OldTimer: thanks for the pointer. I may very well do that.

[Mike]

Kadee 119's will work well and aren't all that expensive. They are self-sprung shelf couplers that are very resistent to vertical uncoupling.

[full maxx]

I think what maxx was saying with the two layers of the plywood was offsetting them and screw them together.  This would not put holes in anything other than the plywood.  I think I would drill holds in the plywood and use bolts with wingnuts.  That would make it easy to install and take down.

yeah the wing nuts are a good idea for dis assembly

[MacMasta]

OldTimer, Mike, can you comment on the differences between the 118 and the 119?

[Mike]

118 is a couplerbox mounted unit like a no 5. 119 is a wisker sprung coupler that just drops into a coupler box and is self sprung ... Very easy to install.