PHOTOS: Construction Walls Erected Around Big Thunder Mountain Railroad as Year-Long Refurbishment Begins
Back in October, Disney announced that Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at the Magic Kingdom would be closing for a year-long refurbishment on January 6, 2025.
If you take a look at your calendar, you may notice that today is the big day!
Knowing that the construction project was set to start today, we took a trip over to Frontierland to check in on the Wildest Ride in the Wilderness.
The Scene in Frontierland
By the look of things, Disney wasted no time in getting the Thunder Mountain project underway. Before the attraction closed, construction equipment, including a large crane, arrived in preparation for the project.
Now, less than 24 hours after the last guests took a ride aboard the attraction, construction walls surround the attraction, letting guests know that the trains are not running.
Posted on the Thunder Mountain construction walls are notices that read, “Closed! Until Further Notice By Order of Barnabas T. Bullion, Founder and President of Big Thunder Mining Co., Questions or Concerns May Be Addressed to Interim Forman U.B. Patient.”
A Nod to the Attraction’s Backstory
While the construction walls and notices do not give us any new information about the upcoming project, they do contain a couple of references to Thunder Mountain’s backstory.
Barnabas T. Bullion was introduced into the attraction’s lore following the 2012 refurbishment of Thunder Mountain. A portrait of the founder and president of the Big Thunder Mining Company can be found in the ride’s queue.
Notably, the tycoon looks suspiciously similar to Imagineer Tony Baxter, who was one of the driving forces behind the creation of Thunder Mountain!
Photo: The Mickey Wiki
U.B. Patient, meanwhile, is a Haunted Mansion-esque pun.
As 2025 unfolds, Frontierland will go through a year of transition. Hopefully, 2026 will bring back Thunder Mountain better than ever.
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