Today, the sounds of steam whistles and trains are no longer heard among the mountains and valleys in most of Cheshire County, New Hampshire, though to the west and south in the Connecticut Valley and in north-central Massachusetts, steel rails are still very much alive. The two volumes of Iron Roads of the Monadnock Region bring to life the story of now largely forgotten railroads that once operated in the area, shining new light on the roads’ stories from their beginnings to the present, tracing high and low points, glory days, times of struggles, disasters, and wrecks. This little-known history of the roads is loaded with hard-to-find historical information, indexed, and copiously illustrated and enriched by rare and unpublished photos—over 700 images, maps, and tables—it’s all here, an essential reference for the serious rail fan. 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 Region’s 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.