Q: What was the basic form of railway system utilized around 600 BC called?

Scroll down beneath the photo of the Amtrak Station in Jacksonville, FL to learn the answer.

Amtrak station Jacksonville, FL photo by trainumentary.com c. 2015

A: The Rutway

According to Wikipedia: “A basic form of the railway, the rutway, existed in ancient Greek and Roman times, the most important being the ship trackway Diolkos across the Isthmus of Corinth. Measuring between 6 and 8.5 km, remaining in regular and frequent service for at least 650 years, and being open to all on payment, it constituted even a public railway, a concept which according to Lewis did not recur until around 1800. The Diolkos was reportedly used until at least the middle of the 1st century AD, after which no more written references appear.”