In reality most vehicles didn't get as worn as we think because many didn't survive long enough, and for the most part kept active enough to keep rust off. A lot of weathering seen on models is just artistic license. Go take a look at construction vehicles and examine how they rust and get worn and realize they screw around in the dirt on purpose.

OK Chris, the track parts were not painted or plated? They were assembled on the vehicles as a raw cast steel. Was this true for all nations and times? Were there some track steels that rusted less or differently than others?

I read somewhere that Soviet tracks went from raw steel to a darker shade of rust without the intermediate step of an orangy rust. Was this true? If so, it would mean a different finish on those tracks than others.

When a tank left the factory during WW2 how were the tracks finished? Were they painted? Plated? Were they castings or forgings? Did it vary by nation or time?

Addressing German tanks from WWII, I have read that they were painted with a resilient, black enamel.

I know this doesn't answer the question of factory finished tracks, but here is a good example of in use modern tracks

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I know this doesn't answer the question of factory finished tracks, but here is a good example of in use modern tracks

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A National Geographic 'Ultimate Factories' program on the refurbishment of M1 tanks had some interesting shots; the tracks are taken off the tank and refurbished, but by the time the tank is ready for them to be put back, they're already rusted. It's harder to see, but after the reassembled tank finishes performance testing the rust has already worn off.

As an illustration of how fast metal rusts, the stripped hulls and turrets are bead blasted to clean them down to bare metal; they sit outside for a few days waiting for a specialized railroad flatcar, at which point they're nicely orange from rust.