Ride Tribute
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One of the most famous runaway mine trains, Disney’s Big Thunder Mountain
Railroad has reopened at Disneyland, California, following a major refurbishment
BIG THUNDER MOUNTAIN Disneyland classic returns!
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he “wildest ride in the wilderness” has been fully refurbished. All the much-loved dips and turns are still there, but now the track has been upgraded, there’s new paint on the mountain, a restoration of the historic Rainbow Ridge Mining Town, enhanced audio and updates to the ride vehicles. Even the wildlife at Big Thunder can be heard more distinctly.
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 1959’s Matterhorn Bobsleds and Space Mountain, which opened in 1977. Following this trio of rollercoasters, the Splash Mountain log flume opened at the park in 1989. Thunder Mountain Railroad’s setting evokes 19th Century gold-mining territory, with rugged bedrock and desert cactus. Passengers 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 the late ‘70s, the lavishly- themed mine train 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 the ride reaches 104ft, or about 31 metres.
Objects that may be spotted by guests if they are quick enough during the fast-paced ride around the
Disney’s mine train magic
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was the first major design project for Walt Disney Imagineer and ‘Disney Legend’ Tony Baxter, whose subsequent projects at Disneyland in California included the new Fantasyland of 1983, Splash Mountain and the Indiana Jones Adventure. Working with Baxter on the Thunder Mountain attraction was ride design engineer Bill Watkins.
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train – coming soon to the Magic Kingdom in Florida
The concept came from Baxter’s work on fellow Imagineer Marc Davis's concept for the Western River Expedition, a themed pavilion at the Magic Kingdom in Florida. Designed as an enormous plateau, it was to feature many rides, including a runaway mine train. However, because the pavilion was deemed too expensive in light of the 1973 opening of Pirates of the Caribbean, Baxter proposed severing the mine train and building it as a standalone attraction.
It was put on hold again in 1974 as resources and personnel were diverted to constructing Space Mountain, but this delay may have ultimately produced a smoother ride as the use of computers in attraction design was just beginning when the project eventually resumed and so Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was one of the first Disney rides to utilise computer-aided design (CAD). Built by Dynamic Structures, the attraction first opened at Disneyland in 1979, with the Magic Kingdom’s larger version by Arrow Dynamics opening a year later. Tokyo
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Disneyland added its own version from Vekoma in 1987 and in 1992, Disneyland Paris debuted with Big Thunder Mountain as part of its attraction line- up, also from Vekoma. More recently, in 2012, Hong Kong Disneyland opened Big Grizzly Mountain as part of its Grizzly Gulch area; a different theme, but a similar ride experience, albeit with a powered train. And, coming later this year, the Magic Kingdom in Orlando will launch the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, featuring a first-of-its-kind ride system with swinging cars. A second version of the ride is expected to form part of the attraction line-up when Shanghai Disneyland debuts late next year. Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it’s off to ride we go!
BELOW: Big Grizzly Mountain at Hong Kong Disneyland
mountain include a century-old stamp mill, hand- driven drill, press gears, picks shovels and other artefacts acquired from the abandoned mines of Nevada, Colorado, Minnesota and Wyoming. Items were also sourced from museums and swap meets. 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 diehard Disneyland fans still call it by its original name: Rainbow Ridge. The town is said to have been a favourite of Walt Disney, who built miniatures himself as a hobby.
disneyland.disney.go.com
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