Railways of Ancient Rome

Presuming an Aeropile/Steam Engine is refined and can become more commonplace, and given that steel was already being produced in quantity by the 4th century BCE, rail-based mine transport was noted in Greece no later than the 6th century BCE. If Rome can merge the technologies, what do the railways of Ancient Rome look like and what impact does it have on the Republic and/or Empire?
 
I don't think the steel making methods of that era could handle this, but if so...

Earliest railways might be single purpose, for moving grain from large volume farming districts, to urban centers, or salt. Coal was known and used in a small way in the era. This might jump start coal energy technology. So, coal trains might be next. Timber would be another revenue stream.

But, I think single line railways, mostly for a specific item would be the norm for a while, vs the networked railways of our industrial age.
 

Md139115

Banned
To be fair, I think that like England, a Roman railroad system would have emerged first from a network of horse pulled and gravity lines. In order to stimulate that, you would need to impress on the Romans the need to more easily move bulk cargo than by cart. It’s a tall order.
 
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