2014 Layout Remodel

I have to tell you, painting an ballasting the FasTrack drastically improves the look. Great job.

Greatly?  I saw that picture full size an thought it was 2-rail.  I was wondering where you got the 2-rail engines, then I saw AGHRMatt's post and looked again.  That is better then great, that is amazing.  Thank you for posting, but please make another thread on how you made the track look so good. 

Looking real nice.

If Matt wouldn't have pointed out that the track was FasTrack I would never have noticed.  You did do an awesome job.  I have never seen that track look as decent as it does in the photos.

Wow, thanks for the compliments guys. I discovered (by accident) that the shiny almost mirror finish center rail of fastrack really disappears when the outside rails are painted a darker color. The eye seems to be naturally drawn to the outside rails when they are darker, which is why I never understood a black center rail with the outside rails painted because your eye will focus to that center black rail.

Theres no great secret to how I did this track, simply woodland scenic track painting pens and ballast. 

What specific ballast did you use? I'm getting ready to remodel my FasTrack layout but can't make up my mind as to what ballast to use. It is amazing what a little paint and ballast can do for plastic sectional track. I just finished painting and ballasting my Kato Unitrack N scale layout and you'd be hard pressed to tell it's plastic roadbed sectional track. What do you have under the FasTrack? Homosote? Pink foam? Right now my FasTrack is sitting on 3/4" plywood and it is LOUD (one reason why I'm remodeling and a total newbie mistake on my part!)