The Iron Horse

1924
Passed
2h 30m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

Classical Western Western Epic Drama History Romance Western

After witnessing the murder of his father by a renegade as a boy, the grown-up Brandon helps to realize his father's dream of a transcontinental railway.After witnessing the murder of his father by a renegade as a boy, the grown-up Brandon helps to realize his father's dream of a transcontinental railway.After witnessing the murder of his father by a renegade as a boy, the grown-up Brandon helps to realize his father's dream of a transcontinental railway.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.2/10

2.5K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 2 wins

Photos94

+ 87

Top cast53

Edit

George O'Brien

Dave Brandon

Madge Bellamy

Miriam Marsh

Charles Edward Bull

Abraham Lincoln

Cyril Chadwick

Jesson

Will Walling

Thomas Marsh

Francis Powers

Sgt. Slattery

J. Farrell MacDonald

Cpl. Casey
(as J. Farrell Macdonald)

Jim Welch

Pvt. Schultz
(as James Welch)
…

George Waggner

Buffalo Bill Cody
(as George Wagner)

Fred Kohler

Deroux

James A. Marcus

Judge Haller
(as James Marcus)

Gladys Hulette

Ruby

Chief John Big Tree

Cheyenne Chief
(uncredited)

Chris Willow Bird

Indian
(uncredited)

Danny Borzage

Worker
(uncredited)

George Brent

Worker
(uncredited)

Milton Brown

Minor Role
(uncredited)

Thomas Carr

Rail Worker
(uncredited)

Storyline

Edit

Did you know

Edit

Trivia
The kitchen staff for the film was made up largely of Chinese cooks. Some of them had been workers on the transcontinental railroad in 1869, the same construction project that forms the basis of this film.

Goofs
The locomotives and rolling stock are using knuckle-type couplers which did not begin wide use until the 1890's. In the 1860's era setting of this movie, the couplers in use would have been link and pin. This anachronism is understandable as the safety issue would have prohibited the use of the era appropriate link and pin couplers.

Quotes
Thomas Marsh: [after he older Brandon has verbalized his dream of a trancontinental railroad] Poor dreamer - he's chasing a rainbow.
Lincoln: Yes, Tom - and some day men like you will be laying rails along that rainbow.

Alternate versions
The DVD release of this film contains two different edits, one for the American market and one for Europe. The American release is 16 minutes longer than the European cut. The American cut is dedicated to the memory of Abraham Lincoln while the European release is dedicated to the memory of George Stephenson. In the American release Fred Kohler's character is named Deroux while in the European cut his character is named Bauman.

Connections
Edited into The Story of Our Flag (1939)

Soundtracks
Blow the Man Down
(uncredited)
Traditional 19th Century Sea Chanty (1860s)
[Integrated into restoration score into divorce and going back to work scenes]

User reviews33

Review

Featured review

6/10

Man vs obstacles n the backbreaking hardwork but with the blood of the poor farmers.

This film was on my radar for a long time. Saw this few days back on a dvd. Fortunately it was a US version of 2 hours 29 mins but was a lil upset when I heard about the bluray release date set for November. I enjoy watching western films on blurays. This film is an epic about the creation of the first transcontinental railroad. The film portrayed the backbreaking hardwork, the toils of the men and the determination. George O'Brien plays the young man whose father was murdered for finding a shorter route through a gorge. O'Brien is adamant to fulfil his father's dream inspite of obstruction n a murder attempt. I was shocked to know that many poor farmers' land was usurped for the project n this was one of the reason for turning the James brothers into outlaws.