Howdy Folks! And welcome to the Wild West. Since you’re here, let me take you on a virtual ride of BIG Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disney’s Magic Kingdom theme park!
And by wild west, I really mean Frontierland location at Walt Disney World.
Home to Peco’s Bills, Tom Sawyer Island, Country Bear Jamboree, the new attraction Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and of course the star of today, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad!
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is one of the three “Disney Mountains,” the others being Space Mountain and Expedition Everest.
Considered a true Disney Classic and one of the must-do experiences when you visit the resort, today I will be diving deep into the history of the attraction and its impact on the park in which it resides.
For your safety, remain seated with your hands, arms, feet, and legs inside the train—and be sure to watch your kids. If any of you folks are wearin’ hats or glasses, best remove ’em—’cause this here’s the wildest ride in the wilderness!
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BIG Thunder Mountain Railroad at a Glance:
- Height Requirements: 40 inches
- Top Speed: 35 mph
- Height: 104 feet
- How Long Does BIG Thunder Mountain Railroad Lasts: 3 minutes
- Manufacturer: Vekoma
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Backstory and Theme
Making its Florida debut at Walt Disney World on November 15, 1980, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad quickly gained traction as a popular and classic mountain ride at Magic Kingdom.
What Park in Disney is Big Thunder Mountain Railroad?
There are a total of 4 versions of this attraction with the original being at Disneyland (1979), the Magic Kingdom (1980), Tokyo Disney Resort (1987) and Disneyland Paris (1992). But the backstories for each are fairly similar with slight changes.
What is the Backstory of Big Thunder Mountain?
This story starts in the late 1800s, someone struck gold in Big Thunder Mountain located in the American Southwest.
In true western fashion, the small mining town of Tumbleweed blew up, not literally, overnight.
As time passed, the town boomed and even set up a bunch of mine trains to make gold mining easier.
However, there was a slight problem with their recent prospects and that was the location.
Little did the folks in Tumbleweed know, the mountain held special meaning for the Native Americans in the area and was considered cursed land.
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Tragedy Strikes the Small Town
Right after the settlers messed with the mountain, a super sad thing happened to the town. A big flood wrecked the mines and the town of Tumbleweed.
Because of this, the town was totally deserted by the locals. Not long after, in a strange turn of events, it was found that the trains were circling the mountain mysteriously, with no clear reason, no engineers, and no crew.
So, they totally had to build the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in the old Tumbleweed town and give folks rides on those spooky trains… Totally makes sense, right?
Natural Inspiration for This Disney Attraction
The rock work design for the attraction was actually inspired by the cool buttes of Arizona and Utah’s Monument Valley. And guess what?
They recently added a whole new backstory to the attraction’s lore.
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The Newest Folklore of Disney’s Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Meet Barnabas T. Bullion, Operator of the Big Thunder Mining Company, who is obsessed digging up gold.
Because of his name, he firmly believes it’s his fate to discover a hefty amount of gold inside Big Thunder Mountain.
Even though the folks around here say that digging up the gold brings bad luck, that didn’t stop the town of Tumbleweed from facing its unfortunate destiny.
But hey, the company didn’t give up and kept on trying to strike gold, even after all the setbacks.
And since then, the company has experienced a lot of weird stuff and unfortunate events, but they keep going to reach Barnabas’s fate.
Hidden Disney Easter Egg to Find at Disney World
There is a photo of Barnabas, and it resembles a certain imagineer. When you figure it out, come back and let me know in the comments section below!
Meet Jason Chandler
Going even further into the mine that is the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Backstory, let’s meet Jason Chandler, a local to the Big Thunder Mountain area. He was the inventor of an impressing drilling machine.
Out of the blue, a cave just decided to cave in while the miners were doing their thing in the mountain, leaving them stuck.
Chandler swooped in with his machine, pulling off a heroic rescue and bringing the trapped miners back to safety.
After the rescue mission wrapped up, guess what? Chandler got stuck under the surface!
No need to fret, though. He survived to share the story, and ended up venturing past Big Thunder Mountain with his machine to help out with some cool scientific findings.
Jason is in this cool club called the Society of Explorers and Adventurers. He recently went on this super exciting expedition to find the golden city of El Dorado with his buddy Barnabas T. Bullion, who is also part of the same club.
History of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at the Disney Parks
Now that we have dug deep into the lore of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, let’s get into some of the ride’s history.
Around 1972 to 1973, Tony Baxter and Marc Davis brainstormed the attraction for Disneyland, but it was put on hold due to work on Pirates of the Caribbean.
It would stay on hold up until 1977 when construction finally broke ground in Frontierland at Disneyland.
When did BIG Thunder Mountain open at Disneyland?
On September 2, 1979, the ride finally opened to the public as one of the first rides at the park to be assisted by with a computer aided design.
Secrets of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disney
Clues about the attraction’s era can be spotted in the queue.
#1 Secret: The mining gear used in the attraction was actually discovered at flea markets and auctions in small towns across the Midwest.
#2 Secret: You might hear some giggles and tunes coming from a saloon in Disneyland’s mining town, Rainbow Ridge.
#3 Secret: You can hear the sound of a typewriter that adds a touch of the mid-late 19th century vibe to the attraction.
#4 Secret: Many visitors know about the dinosaur skeleton that can be seen in the rock formations at all versions except in Disneyland Paris.
#5 Secret: Believe it or not, train noises are played to really enhance the ride experience. This even includes train whistles, even though the Big Thunder Trains don’t actually have one.
Ride Stats for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
The ride stats for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad are actually intriguing as it was part of a medical study.
- Height Requirements: 40 inches
- Top Speed: 35 mph
- Height: 104 feet
- How Long Does BIG Thunder Mountain Railroad Lasts: 3 minutes
- Manufacturer: Vekoma
Now that you have the stats for this Disney World thrill ride, let’s go over the basics.
Who manufactured Big Thunder Mountain Railroad?
For Disneyland’s version the manufacturer was Arrow Development originally with Dynamic Structures doing the 2014 refurbishment.
On Walt Disney World’s version, it was built with the help of Vekoma and all attractions feature single lap bars.
How fast is Big Thunder Mountain Railroad?
As a steel mine train type ride with a custom layout, it can reach a maximum speed of 35 MPH.
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How tall is Big Thunder Mountain Railroad?
The maximum height is 104 feet and maybe you can try the goat trick while you’re allowing the chains to take you to the top of that lift hill!
For 3 minutes, you will be experiencing the wildest ride in the wilderness!
Does Big Thunder Mountain have a Single Rider Line?
In the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland theme park, Big Thunder Mountain does not have a Single Rider Line.
However, in the Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disneyland Parks, there is a Single Rider Line for this thrilling attraction.
Is Big Thunder Mountain Railroad scary?
Although there are a few bumps and dark scenes of the ride, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is not as scary as it may appear to be when compared to other rides such at VelociCoaster at Universal Orlando.
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Pass Your Kidney Stones on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
I can’t let you go without telling you about that last intriguing stat. In October 2016, Dr. Wartinger published a paper in a medical journal.
His findings concluded that several of his patients had passed kidney stones after riding Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. One patient in particular had passed three kidney stones on three separate occasions!
Dr. Wartinger, approved by Disney, tried this out with a 3D kidney model and went on it more than 20 times.
He found that 70% of the time, the kidney stone passed. But even more interesting is that this was tested on Space Mountain and Rock ‘n ‘Roller Coaster failed to give similar results.
So, if you want to pass a few kidney stones, get in line for Big Thunder Mountain railroad!
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My Final Thoughts on This Classic Disney Ride
As I’m sure most of you are well versed with the Disney Parks, I genuinely hope you have learned at least one new thing about this classic, cursed mountain!
And remember all of the things that I told the next time you decide to ride a possessed train through the hills of that wild mountain town!
Until next time, Happy Park Hopping Hipsters!
About the Author
Victoria is a professional solo traveler here to make your solo trips as stress free AND enjoyable as possible for you.
She has over 5 years of Disney and Non-Disney travel experience and was featured by POPSUGAR as one of the Top 50 Black Disney Creators you should follow.
She is a Proud Native to Baltimore, Md but always will call Disney World home.
Original Article Date: September 5, 2022/Updated by Editor on April 21, 2024)