Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

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Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Overview

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Set amid the rustic beauty of an authentic-looking gold mining town of a century ago, Guests board an open-air ore car and find theyare cargo on a "runaway" mine train. Before their return to the little boom town of Big Thunder, visitors survive a host of threats along their journey, including swarming bats, a raging waterfall, an underground earthquake and ensuing rock avalanche. Guests board the train with the warning to "hang on to your hats and glasses" for the "wildest ride in the wilderness". While as a roller coaster it's relatively tame, the attention to detail in both the attraction and queue sets this attraction apart from the rest.

Walt Disney World® warns that this ride may be too intense for very young children. A height restriction of 40" is in effect and children under the age of 7 must be accompanied by an adult. Parents may choose the "switching off" option here, ask the Cast Member at the entrance for assistance. Guests using ECVs must be able to transfer to a wheelchair.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad History

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Big Thunder Mountain began as an idea for a ride to replace Pirates of the Caribbean at Walt Disney World. A Team of Imagineers created a new area for Walt Disney World with the theme of an old west town. The area would be called Thunder Mesa, and feature an animatronic show like Pirates of the Caribbean called The Western River Expedition and a run-a-way mine train ride that would sit on top of a mesa (Thunder Mesa).

When it was decided that Pirates of the Caribbean would in fact be built at Disneyworld after all, the mine train project was slated to open by itself. Years went by however and nothing got built.

A little while later, Disneyland brought the project back to life, and built Big Thunder Mountain as an expansion of their Frontierland. Walt Disney World immediately followed suit and started construction of their version of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in 1979.

Once construction completed Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was 2,780 feet long, and covered two and half acres of land. The grand opening was on Novembers 15, 1980. Since then Big Thunder Mountain Railroad has been reproduced at Tokyo Disneyland and Euro Disney.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Lore

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Greedy prospectors were plundering the hills of Big Thunder, once sacred Indian ground, for their gold. Indian legend warned of a great disaster that would befall anyone who disturbed the mountain. One night the miners set out on the train down into the deep mines of the mountain. Here, Indian spirits took control of the mine train and set it out of control down the mountain, and the miners were never seen again. Later a great earthquake would destroy much of the mine, and as more disasters occurred, the frightened miners fled from Big Thunder leaving only a handful of residents and of course the legend of Big Thunder.

Big Thunder Mountain Trivia

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• Big Thunder Mountain opened at Walt Disney World® in 1980
• Big Thunder Mountain features 20 Audio-Animatronics figures and real antique mining equipment.
• Big Thunder Mountain is 197ft tall and it is the tallest point in Walt Disney World.
• The average speed of Big Thunder Mountain is 30 mph, with a maximum speed of 33 mph, which is faster than Space Mountain.
• The colour and shape of the rocks in the mountain are based on those found in Arizona and the Grand Canyon.
• The only attraction to have the exact same track as it's counterpart in Disneyland.
• Trip Time: 4 minutes

Big Thunder Mountain Hidden Mickeys

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• Look for three rusty gears laying on the grass as you reenter the station.
• On the right side of the station, there is a clock where you can see a little Hidden Mickey on the extremity of the minute hand.
• Near the bottom left of the highest peak of Thunder Mountain, there is a diagonally-turned Mickey head. It is slightly discolored from the rest of the peak and is very hard to see.

Big Thunder Mountain Reviews

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5/22/2008

Reviewer: Brandon, MI, USA
This was always my favorite when I was younger. While it no longer holds that title, this is still a fun roller coaster.

2/18/2008

Reviewer: April Raney, Orlando , FL, USA
I live here in Orlando and my father works for WDW .. I HAVE to go on Thunder Mt. at least twice if not more when I go ! I LOVEEE IT !!!

4/16/2005

Reviewer: The Disney Expert, St. Louis, MO, USA
Big Thunder Mountain also known as, "The Wildest Ride in the Wilderness is so great because it entertains the kids and the adults and it has one of the best scenaries that you could see in a ride. The theme of this ride is that you're going through a flooded mining town and the gold diggers are having one more celebration before they move to drier land. This is a must see ride by far. So go on the, "Wildest Ride in the Wilderness," when you go to the Magic Kingdom at Frontierland. Believe me, you'll love it.

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