Track detectors, contributing to the understanding of the structure and properties of matter, are widely used in fundamental and applied research on modern accelerators, in the study of the nature of particles of cosmic origin, and for muography. The advantage of the technique is the visibility of the results, the possibility of reconstructing trajectories, interaction vertices and particle decay points with an accuracy of several microns. Specific features of various experiments, requiring original solutions in their design, data processing and interpretation, provide multidisciplinary development of the subject. The evolution of the track technique, in addition to the tasks of experimental physics, is determined by the problems of innovative technologies and the creation of new materials. These trends can be followed up by the example of more than fifty years of work of the LPI Elementary Particle Laboratory, which uses various types of track detectors in its experiments. The review presents the ideas and results of world-class experimental and modeling studies conducted previously and being conducted now by the laboratory researchers, as well as those planned for the near future.