Big Thunder Mountain Facts and Figures from 1980
With the news that Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Magic Kingdom is scheduled to close on January 6, 2025 for a year-long refurbishment, I wanted to take a look back at this iconic mine train coaster and the era that gave it life. Big Thunder has always been one of those attractions that feels timeless: a “runaway” story you can understand in two seconds, a track layout that’s thrilling without being extreme, and that classic Disney trick of making the scenery feel bigger than it is. For Disney history nerds (hi, it’s me), refurbishments are also a perfect excuse to revisit primary sources and see how the company originally introduced an attraction to cast members and guests.
In this post, I’m digging into a fantastic time capsule: a front-page article from the November 14, 1980 edition of Eyes & Ears, the Walt Disney World cast member newsletter. It’s packed with delightful, numbers-heavy detail about what it took to build Thunder Mountain, plus a very 1980 “welcome aboard” level of hype.
The November 14, 1980 edition of the Eyes & Ears castmember newsletter has a font page article on the newest mountain in Florida with some great Big Thunder Mountain facts.
WELCOME ABOARD!
BIG THUNDER MOUNTAIN RAILROAD GRAND OPENING THIS WEEKEND
When mountains were being passed out around the world, Florida got the short end of the hill. But Walt Disney World Co. has almost corrected the oversight by first building Space Mountain and again with the opening of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, elevation 200 feet.
It took ten years of planning, hundreds of hardy rock makers, tons of steel, concrete, paint and lumber to build the redrock buttes and windswept mine buildings. In fact, to be exact, it took:
- 1,300,000 pounds of steel beams, rods and mesh
- 9,350,000 pounds of cement and sand
- 560,000 pints of water
- 64,000 cups of desert paint in assorted colors
- 2, 780 feet of railroad tracks
- 6 gold rush trains
- on a 2-acre site
to make Big Thunder Mountain Railroad a reality.
And this weekend marks the Official Grand Opening of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Many of you may have already experienced the thrill of boarding the rumbling, runaway mine train and flying along at speeds up to 24 mph as it plunges into a bat-filled cave, races through the ribs of a giant dinosaur and rushes through a thundering waterfall. And now that the Grand Opening is at hand, thousands of guests will have an opportunity to experience this same thrill.
It’s an exciting addition to our Magic Kingdom, the 46th attraction. Welcome Aboard!
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad POV
I recorded a POV of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in 2019. Enjoy this look back at the previous Big Thunder Mountain Railroad while the Magic Kingdom attraction is down for refurbishment.
I’m also curious what changes we’ll see when it returns after refurbishment and how the experience might evolve while still keeping that classic Thunder Mountain personality. In the meantime, if you’re a Big Thunder regular, I’d love to know what you hope stays exactly the same (train pacing, effects, lighting, sound, that first lift hill feeling) and what you wouldn’t mind seeing improved. And if you’ve got memories of riding it in the early days, or you’ve collected old Eyes & Ears issues, share them in the comments. For a lot of us, Big Thunder isn’t just a coaster. It’s a piece of Magic Kingdom history that somehow still feels brand new every time the train leaves the station.