Refurbishment work continues apace on the wildest ride in the wilderness ahead of its planned reopening in May.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Signage
On a recent visit to Magic Kingdom, we stopped by Big Thunder Mountain in Frontierland for a closer look at progress on the ride’s refurbishment work before it reopens later this spring.
In an update from last week, it appears that progress on the ride refurbishment is starting to wind down as scaffolding around the attraction has been removed.
Elsewhere within the attraction’s footprint, we noticed what appears to be temporary walls erected around the old fencing that lines the outdoor queue portion for the coaster.
Visible on the interior-facing side of the new temporary walls, you can spot floodlights, stacked materials, and other construction barriers/fencing. The activity around this area may suggest that work on the ride’s queue is the last order of business in the broader scope of refurbishment work.
The interior portion of the Big Thunder Mountain queue famously incorporates a variety of interactive elements for guests making their way through the line. It’s unknown if any of those elements will be updated, replaced, or if anything new will be added to the queue experience as part of the extensive work seen on the ride over the past year.
Earlier in the month, Walt Disney Imagineering filed a permit to “install signage” at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Magic Kingdom. The permit contracts Design Communications Ltd., who have created signs for several Walt Disney World attractions and venues. They are also contracted for the new “The Walt Disney Studios” sign coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is scheduled to reopen in early May after being closed for over a year. It will have an updated opening scene with a transformation of the Rainbow Caverns, refreshed Audio-Animatronics, and gold props. The ride’s entire track was replaced. Crews recently removed scaffolding from the ride’s queue building.
Watch our full ride multi-cam POV video of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad from before its closure below.
Are you ready to revisit the wildest ride in the wilderness? Let us know on social media.
For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.