It’s been a little bit since we’ve checked in on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad refurbishment project, so we made it out to Magic Kingdom recently for a sort of mega update on the project to reset what has been done and where we’re at. In short, the project appears to be progressing nicely, but there are still some hurdles to clear before we start seeing runaway mine cars barreling around the mountain again.
New Backstage Vehicle Barn
We’ll start with a ride on the Walt Disney World Railroad. While the refurbishment of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will last into 2026, the view from the Walt Disney World Railroad will be unavailable starting next month. The Frontierland Station will be closed (likely for a few years), and the Railroad will only operate in “shuttle mode” between the Fantasyland Station and the Main Street USA Station.
Anyway, back to our ride on the Railroad. We can see that a large structure that we first spotted back in April has now been enclosed. The building will be the new backstage vehicle barn for maintenance and storage of the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad trains.
When the Railroad departs the station, we can catch glimpses of the building – first through the trees and then a bit more clearly. We can see that there is roller track installed within the building, and some footers being installed to take the roller coaster track from the ride on one side of the Railroad tracks to the barn on the other side of the tracks.
Tumbleweed Touchups
Staying on the Walt Disney World Railroad, we’ll turn our attention from the left side of the tracks to the right side of the tracks, where we can find the town of Tumbleweed. As you can see, Tumbleweed is a forest of scaffolding as crews refresh the set. The roller coaster track here has been installed for some time now, offering crews weeks and weeks of uninterrupted work.
There is still plenty of work to be done, too. There are a number of props missing, presumably all being touched up at Central Shops and third-party locations. In fact, there are still a few places within the facade that are cut open. We’ll see another big chunk of facade cut open once we get on the Liberty Square Riverboat. For now, here’s a look at Tumbleweed.
View from the Riverboat
With our lap on the Railroad complete, it was time to board the Liberty Square Riverboat for a unique view of Big Thunder. Ironically enough, we’ll eventually have to ride Big Thunder for updated views of the construction set to replace the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island, but that’s a problem for another year. For now, let’s see what we can see from the Riverboat.
The giant crane still dominates the Magic Kingdom skyline, and we expect it will continue to be here for at least a few weeks, if not longer. While there is reason to believe that all of the track is completely installed on the ride, there is still some backstage track yet to be installed, and someone is going to have to put some heavy props back in some tough-to-reach areas. A crane would probably help.
Before we get in front of Big Thunder, we can see that a secretive tarp remains in place in the queue. This tarp has been here since nearly the start of the project. In terms of what’s behind it, here’s a look back (image below, right side). It looks like an old pump of some sort, but I don’t exactly remember if it ever “worked” or was just a static prop. Either way, the fact that it has been covered for so long is interesting, if not revealing.
As we start to turn the corner, some familiar sights come back into focus such as generators for overnight lights, and other views of installed track. It is believed that the track installed just after the over-river U-turn was the final piece of attraction track to be installed. Of course, there is still the matter of the backstage track leading to the new barn, so we can’t say that all of the track has been installed, but we don’t expect to see flying track pieces over Big Thunder Mountain proper anymore.
Speaking of the over-water U-turn, the familiar yellow frame is still in the same spot. I’m not sure what this device does, but it has been in this position for some time. Perhaps it is a sort of chassis clearance device, whereas the envelope test is more for guests.
Speaking of the envelope test device, we can see that it is currently stuck in a portion of the track where there is not enough clearance. Like many of the old-school roller coasters (I’m looking at you, Space Mountain), there are opportunities for guests with impressive wingspans to touch the facade at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. It will be interesting to see if Disney chisels away at the facade here where the envelope test device is very obviously coming into contact with the mountain, and likely failing the test.
I do like how the paint on the rockwork appears to be worn in this area where guests can come into contact with the mountain. It’s sort of like a real-life version of the gag below from the now-closed MuppetVision 3D attraction at Hollywood Studios. Only in the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad version, guests could probably get hurt. We’ll see if Disney makes some changes at Thunder.
Not much movement over at the final lift hill for the ride. It is rumored that there will be some changes here, likely to add the explosion projection mapping effects seen in other versions of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. In fact, there is such little movement that there are still tags for props that read “demo”.
Finally, here’s a look at a hole cut in the facade. There are a number of holes left in the mountain right now, but this may be the biggest one visible to guests.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!