The Refurbishment of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Reaches a Major Milestone
If you have been reading along here at MickeyBlog, you know that we have been closely following the ongoing refurbishment of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Magic Kingdom.
As a quick recap, the attraction closed in January for what is expected to be a year-long refurbishment. Over the last several months, we have watched as the attraction’s track was replaced, rockwork continued, and the refurbished trains debuted.
Now, we are back with another update!
Ride Testing Is Underway
Today, when visiting Frontierland, we were thrilled to see that testing on the refurbished attraction is continuing and a new envelope device has been added to the trains.
For those who don’t know, the envelope mechanism allows Imagineers to better test the safety of a ride vehicle by recreating how far riders can reach out of the train.
In this case, the mechanism is being used on the refurbished Thunder Mountain trains.
Previously, however, we have seen Disney use similar equipment when testing other roller coasters.
The Refurbishment Continues
Elsewhere, work is continuing on the attraction’s ride scenes.
Today, we could see construction crews pressure washing rocks.
Here is another look.
When Will Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Reopen?
While the refurbishment of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad has reached a major milestone, the attraction still needs to be completed before it reopens.
The hope is that Thunder Mountain will reopen early next year. Perhaps, even with the TNT finale that the other versions of the attraction have.
As always, be sure to check back with MickeyBlog. We will continue to update you on all the news out of Walt Disney World.
