It does not matter where you live there is always a weather issue of some kind. My tried and true ballast is crusher fines , about a spade deep topped off with #2 chicken grit.  the grit will weather nicely if you give it  some time and it binds together so heavy rain or snow does not wash it away. I've used pavers to gain elevation supported by cinder block, but have never tie the track down as I think the track expansion / contraction thru the seasons could twist things. the track is only as stable as the base . its what you don't see that is really important.

the only thing that I'm unsure about is ,which are the wires that come from the engines optical sensors on the cylinders for the chuff ?. I need to know the color so I can reroute them to the phoenix. sorry if this seems simple to some folks ,but I"am a newbie in the electronics field.