Can’t seem to get track work right

I have messed with a lot of ross track building modules and have found that some of the track sections end up with "Ramps" on the ends. They must be cut to length upside down or something.  Try screwing them down at the ends and leaving screws in the middle of the track sections loose. See if it flattens out a little bit. With the straights, I'd say just cut a few inches off the end so you get into the flat center of the track piece and see how much that helps.  Obviously you'll need a fitter piece to account for however much you cut off in total, but you should be able to flatten it out if the track ends are the issue.

My guess would be the carpet, perhaps not even throughout, and screws too tight in different places. It’s hard to screw into carpet and keep things even. Plus, if you watch trains run, you might see some up/down movement as heavy engines pass over some sections. Just a thought.

I'd guess it's a combination of both, especially if the carpet has any pile to it that can get folded under or caught under the trackage. Once laid out, you could try putting a sheet(s) of plywood over the entire layout and then weighing it down with books or heavy objects and let it sit for a week to flatten out.

It could be the carpet.  I’m going section to section remove screws and run a couple of engines that seem to have problems.  I’ve already soldered the power to the track so I can’t do much.

The plywood sheet idea was interesting.  But I would switch to Fastrack if I got to that point.

i think it’s the carpet.  It was a very high grade from Lowes.

thanks all for the suggestions.

I’ll let you know how I make out.