Hold
onto your ears!
The wildest ride in the wilderness is back up and
running - just in time for summer! Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (one of our family favorites) has gotten a magical makeover with an upgraded track, restoration of the historic Rainbow Ridge
Mining Town, new paint on portions of the mountain and updates to the train
vehicles. Disneyland guests taking a ride on this runaway mine train will discover some
new explosive surprises along the way. (Spoiler alert: there may be smoke and fire!)
We got a chance to ride AND interview Executive Walt Disney Imagineer, Ray Spencer (he's also Creative Director for Buena Vista Street in Disney California Adventure Park.) Well, there may have been more laughs and screams than actual questions being asked, but it was so interesting to hear the stories from Ray about the remodel. How challenging it was trying to give the beloved attraction an upgrade, without changing too much of a classic.
Here are some interesting facts, you might not know about one of Disney Parks most famous attractions!
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad celebrated its grand opening in September 1979, becoming the third peak in the Disneyland Park “mountain range of thrill rides.” It was preceded by Matterhorn Bobsleds (1959) and Space Mountain (1977) and followed by Splash Mountain (1989).
- The attraction’s setting evokes 19th century gold-mining territory, with rugged bedrock and desert cactus. Guests board a mine train for a thrilling, high-speed adventure past the spires and buttes of the old West and into the tunnels and shafts of a dark and mysterious mine.
- Since its opening in 1979, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disneyland has carried more than 225 million guests who are warned to “hold onto your hats and glasses” as they prepare to dip and drop into the canyons and caves of the Big Thunder ghost town.
- The unusual rock spires of Big Thunder Mountain were inspired by the “hoodoos” of Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah. The tallest spire on Big Thunder Mountain reaches 104 feet.
- Objects that may be spotted by guests in and around Big Thunder Mountain include a century-old stamp mill, hand-driven drill press, gears, picks, shovels and other artifacts acquired from abandoned mines in Nevada, Colorado, Minnesota and Wyoming, as well as museums and swap meets.
- Subsequent versions of the attraction appeared in Magic Kingdom Park, Walt Disney World, Florida in 1980; Tokyo Disneyland Park in 1987 and Disneyland Paris in 1992.
- The miniature town of Big Thunder, seen at the end of the attraction, first appeared in 1956 as part of the Rainbow Cavern Mine Train and Mine Train through Nature’s Wonderland attractions. Many Disneyland fans still call it by its original name: Rainbow Ridge. The town is said to have been a favorite of Walt Disney, who built miniatures himself as a hobby.
- Other items from the Nature’s
Wonderland days include the caves of Rainbow Caverns, the rock-work buttes
at the entry to Balancing Rock Canyon, and some of the animals – the dynamite-devouring goat, coyotes,
possums, snakes, turtles, vultures - who
appear among the rocky cliffs surrounding the mine tunnels.
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was the first major design project for Walt Disney Imagineer and Disney Legend Tony Baxter, whose subsequent projects at Disneyland included the new Fantasyland of 1983, Star Tours, Splash Mountain and the Indiana Jones Adventure.
- Along with the new track, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad reopened in March, 2014, with an enhanced audio system that sharpens the sounds heard by guests as they ride through the caverns and buildings. Even the wildlife at Big Thunder can be heard more distinctly.
Have you had the chance to ride it yet?
What was your favorite part? We'd love to know!
Nice and informative sharing my fried! I know you are interested to know about ours best ride at Disney. I have visited there a few month ago after my bus tours dc with my friends in vacations. During my Disney visit I have enjoyed Big Thunder Mountain Railroad ride in other word most of the tourist prefer to ride it. The visitor can enjoy the rides through the DWD, Magic Kingdom and Tokyo Disney land etc..
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