Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (Magic Kingdom)

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Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Disney's Magic Kingdom
Location	Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA
Coordinates	28°25′12″N 81°35′05″W / 28.420009°N 81.584653°W / 28.420009; -81.584653
Section	Frontierland
Status	Under refurbishment
Operated	November 15, 1980 to January 5, 2025
Rider height	40 inch minimum

Statistics

Manufacturer

Arrow Dynamics

Designer / calculations

Walt Disney Imagineering

Type

Steel

Riders per train

30

Propulsion

3 Chain Lift hills

Height

50 feet

Top speed

36 mph

Length

2780 feet

Inversions

0

Duration

3:30

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is a roller coaster at Magic Kingdom in the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, USA. Opening on November 15, 1980, the ride serves as a mirrored clone of the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad that opened a year prior in 1979. The ride is currently the only rollercoaster in the Frontierland area of the park, and the only ride until Splash Mountain opened in 1992.

History

After the original attraction opened in Disneyland, it was decided that Florida would be getting a clone of the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad coaster already operating at Disneyland, which opened a year before in 1979. Construction started in late 1979, and early 1980. New foundations had to be put in for the ride's riverside location to be put in place, and coaster manufacturer Arrow Dynamics (then known as Arrow Development) was called to manufacturer the new ride.

Construction stopped in late 1980, with ride previews being held then. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad opened on November 15, 1980, and would join Space Mountain as the park's second roller coaster. The ride was practically identical experience wise, but with a brand-new station, themed queue and other new animatronics and sets. The ride has changed very little since then, as unlike its Californian cousin the ride still dons its original track design and layout.

In October 2023, the park announced that Big Thunder Mountain would close on January 5, 2025 for a refurbishment. It is expected to reopen in 2026.^[1]

Design

Elements
Chain lift hill Chain lift hill Chain lift hill

This ride is almost a mirror image of the Big Thunder Mountain at Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California, USA.

Transfer Track

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad contains a very unique transfer track. The ride is located adjacent to the Walt Disney World Railroad tracks, and so, in order to get to the transfer, a swing bridge is set up across the tracks so that the trains can go backstage for maintenance. Up to 2 trains can fit in the shed at a time, as 3 trains are still left on the track.