A method for automated track surveying and ballast replacement and comprising the steps of: (a) moving a survey vehicle along a section of a railway; (b) obtaining survey vehicle position coordinates of said survey vehicles at intervals spaced along said section of railway using a survey vehicle position coordinate system and storing said position coordinates in a survey computer system; (c) concurrently: scanning said railway to obtain position referenced track profile data points at each of said intervals and storing said track profile data points in said survey computer system; recording image data of said railway at each of said intervals using an image recording device and storing said image data in said survey computer system; and entering end locations of ballast no-spread zones along the railway section into said survey computer system; (d) processing said track profile data points to obtain a ballast replacement data file including ballast replacement unit weights per selected unit of length of said railway section, each ballast replacement unit weight being positionally associated with a corresponding unit of said railway section; (e) processing said ballast replacement unit weights to detect anomalous unit weights among said ballast replacement unit weights of said data file which exceed a selected unit weight; (f) displaying image data corresponding with any unit of said railway section associated with an anomalous unit weight to enable review of such image data; (g) providing access to said anomalous unit weights of said data file to enable adjustment thereof to appropriate levels in response to reviewing image data associated therewith; and (h) loading said survey vehicle position coordinates and data representing said unit weights, including adjusted unit weights, into a ballast distribution computer controlling distribution of ballast from ballast distribution cars of a ballast train to thereby distribute said unit weights of ballast to corresponding units of length of said railway section. (a) moving a survey vehicle along a section of a railway; (b) obtaining survey vehicle position coordinates of said survey vehicles at intervals spaced along said section of railway using a survey vehicle position coordinate system and storing said position coordinates in a survey computer system; spaced along said section of railway using a survey vehicle position coordinate system and storing said position coordinates in a survey computer system; (c) concurrently: scanning said railway to obtain position referenced track profile data points at each of said intervals and storing said track profile data points in said survey computer system; recording image data of said railway at each of said intervals using an image recording device and storing said image data in said survey computer system; and entering end locations of ballast no-spread zones along the railway section into said survey computer system; scanning said railway to obtain position referenced track profile data points at each of said intervals and storing said track profile data points in said survey computer system; recording image data of said railway at each of said intervals using an image recording device and storing said image data in said survey computer system; and entering end locations of ballast no-spread zones along the railway section into said survey computer system; (d) processing said track profile data points to obtain a ballast replacement data file including ballast replacement unit weights per selected unit of length of said railway section, each ballast replacement unit weight being positionally associated with a corresponding unit of said railway section; (e) processing said ballast replacement unit weights to detect anomalous unit weights among said ballast replacement unit weights of said data file which exceed a selected unit weight; (f) displaying image data corresponding with any unit of said railway section associated with an anomalous unit weight to enable review of such image data; (g) providing access to said anomalous unit weights of said data file to enable adjustment thereof to appropriate levels in response to reviewing image data associated therewith; and (h) loading said survey vehicle position coordinates and data representing said unit weights, including adjusted unit weights, into a ballast distribution computer controlling distribution of ballast from ballast distribution cars of a ballast train to thereby distribute said unit weights of ballast to corresponding units of length of said railway section.