The “Iron Horse", about the transcontinental track-laying race between the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific, is one of the finest of the epic westerns, and greatly influenced subsequent sagas of frontier life. It was filmed entirely on location with imaginative use of landscape.

The large-scale action scenes are presented with tremendous gusto; Ford's mastery of camera mobilization and cutting points is unstressed, but perfectly functional. “The Iron Horse” made a star of George O'Brien and launched a working relationship with Ford which lasted well into the sound era.

“The lron Horse"combined documentary-like qualities with showmanship. Themes which were to recur in later works appeared: the spirit of the pioneers and the strong bond of familial ties, though some story elements seem strained and novelettish. Ford had so loaded it with action, romance and comedy, it wouldn't but be a huge commercial success, and it established his reputation as a leading director.