"Today, steam whistles and the sounds of trains are no longer heard among the mountains and valleys in most of Cheshire County, New Hampshire, though in the Connecticut Valley to the west and to the south in north-central Massachusetts, steel rails are still very much alive. Iron Roads of the Monadnock Region brings to life the story of now largely forgotten railroads that once operated in the region, shining new light on the roads stories from their beginnings to the present. Authors Blodget and Richards detail how and why the roads were built in the first place, where they went and what they did, their roles in the economy of the Monadnock Region, and what became of them. Seven years in the making, the authors have produced a compendium of little-known history of the roads, tracing the high and low points in the roads lives, their first and last trains, glory days, times of struggles, disasters, and wrecks. Its all here, an essential reference--enriched by over 700 images, maps, and tables---for the serious railfan interested in the history of railroads in the Monadnock Region. Volume I presents the story of the formation and operational history of the railroad network in the rugged mountains and valleys of the Monadnock Region. An introductory overview encapsulates the Regions railroad era: its beginnings, glory years, and end. Chapters 1-9 follow, detailing four roads built before the Civil War: the Vermont and Massachusetts, Cheshire, Sullivan, and Ashuelot.

Following on the first volume, Volume II describes the construction and operational histories of railroads built after the Civil War, when railroad building euphoria swept the Region as communities, left behind by the earliest roads, desperately sought connection to the rail network. Chapters 10-16 cover the Worcester and Hillsborough, Manchester and Keene, Ashburnham, and Ware River roads, as well as street railways and little-known quarry roads"-- Provided by publisher.