I started out doing more than neccisary too by painting the ties and coming in and accually brushing the rust on the rails. What I found is that after all was said and done with ballast and scenery, you could not find the more detailed work unless you knew where to look. What I did find inhanced is areas that I took a short cut by not protecting the track from stuff like plaster drips (these were really plaster colored water or were removed right away). So to do this more refinded, adding different colors here and there dose add realism. I suspect that if you paint a few ties white here and there and maybe an off white and then spray your brown, that might work for you, would try it myself and report back but between layouts right now and no place to do hobby work.