Railroad tracks lead into a grove of trees as autumn colors peak in western Oregon. From Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia: The track on a railway or railroad, also known as the permanent way, is the structure consisting of the rails, fasteners, railroad ties (sleepers, British English) and ballast (or slab track), plus the underlying subgrade. For clarity it is often referred to as railway track (British English and UIC terminology) or railroad track (predominantly in the United States).