Okay, a LOT is going on in Magic Kingdom right now.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Soon, Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island will close to make way for a new Cars expansion in Frontierland. Then a Disney Villains-themed land is coming to the park. There’s a brand new nighttime parade on the way. PLUS, a classic ride, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, is getting a massive refurbishment…speaking of which, we saw some very important testing happening at the ride recently — and we’re going to tell you why it matters.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad closed in January for what will be at least a year-long refurbishment. During that time, we’ve seen some massive construction happening at the ride, including the removal and replacement of the ride’s track (does this mean it’s going to be smoother?). However, we recently saw some ride testing that is VERY important. Take a close look at this photo and you’ll see a special kind of ride vehicle.
See the ride vehicle?
Well, it turns out these vehicles have a very important job. They’re called ride envelope testing vehicles, and they’re meant to check ride safety and clearance. So, basically, these testing vehicles have one job: they have these sort of extenders that reach out from their frame and act as the maximum reach of riders. This makes sure that nothing on the ride extends into that maximum reach area. So these testing vehicles are there to keep you safe.
We also spotted some yellow testing units on the track. These are used to figure out things like weight loads, ride dynamics, track alignment, and more. So it looks like Disney is busy testing out the new parts of the track that have been laid down for the ride.
Chassis testing unit
So what does this all mean? Well, testing generally means we’re getting closer to the end of a refurbishment, although there’s probably still more to be done. Disney has said that Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will reopen “with a little bit of new magic,” so it could be getting more updates than just the new track. We’re not sure what this means, but we’re hoping for those cool projection effects you get on the ride in Disneyland.
Still more work to be done
We’ll be keeping an eye on construction progress on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, so stay tuned to DFB for more.
Why Is It Taking Disney World a Full Year to Refurbish Big Thunder Mountain?
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That’s really cool, thanks for sharing the pix, I’ve never seen that when it’s being done on a Disney ride.
It was a great ride. My wife actually got off the ride and then raced to the pavement to kiss the ground. I hope the imaginers don’t ruin it with this refurb. Their track record on refirbs has not been great.
Ok, have you all been on the bar crawl at Epcot? 🍸