[avadodin]

I agree with the sentiment in the sense that technology doesn't scale when you're like that Australian guy making everything from one-use mud and sticks. Some of it does but not a lot of it.

Most materials up to the 1900s were readily available in Roman times, though.

The metal of choice for the first Roman steam engines would be slightly expensive copper and they built highways in cobblestone connecting their whole empire so they wouldn't shy away from some forward-thinking investment given a working demo.

The first application for them wouldn't be pumps, either. It would be trivial to have charcoal factories around the roads to quickly carry priority goods and military with even a rudimentary steam engine.

The cobblestone roads could be adapted to tram use with a few thousand guys equipped with standard width sticks and picks.

A random Roman maybe not but a Roman with connections could do it.