Hi Tom, thanks for kind comments, getting the track to your own taste (and thats the important bit) is an evolution. I swapped from Peco to SMP 20 years ago cos I just love bullhead rail . Most of the track on this layout is recycled from previous incarnations and some of it tests the best locos to the limit!!! The track weathering is simply an overall coat of sleeper grime, some areas have had the rail sides painted (tedious job!) with a Humbrol colour, rail rust I believe, but I don;t think you can get it anymore? The shade is a very subtle contrast to the sleepers, which works for me. Ballast is a mixture of N chippings & black powder paint stuck with dilute PVA. Cheers Phil.