Big Thunder Mountain
| Big Thunder Mountain (Railroad) | |
|---|---|
| Type | Steel - seated |
| category | Mine roller coaster |
| Drive type | Chain lift hill |
| Designer | Walt Disney Imagineering, Tony Baxter |
| opening | Anaheim: September 2, 1979 Orlando: November 15, 1980 Tokyo: July 4, 1987 Paris: April 12, 1992 |
| length | Anaheim: 814 m Orlando: 847 m Paris: 1500 m |
| height | Paris: 22 m |
| Departure | Paris: 12 m |
| Max. speed | Anaheim: 45 km / h Orlando: 58 km / h Paris: 65 km / h |
| Travel time | Orlando: 3:30 min Tokyo: 3:40 min Paris: 3:56 min |
| capacity | Anaheim: 2400 pph Paris: 2424 people per hour |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Subject area | Frontierland |
| Theming | Mining |
Big Thunder Mountain or Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is a mine roller coaster in four resorts of the Walt Disney Company ( Disneyland Resort (Anaheim) , Walt Disney World Resort (Orlando) , Tokyo Disney Resort (Tokyo) and Disneyland Resort Paris ). The scenery is based on the hoodoos in Bryce Canyon National Park and the "buttes" in Monument Valley .
theme
In the late 19th century, gold was discovered at Big Thunder Mountain in the southwestern United States . The news spread so rapidly that a new gold rush town emerged practically overnight (Anaheim and Tokyo: Rainbow Ridge, Orlando: Tumbleweed, Paris: Thunder Mesa, it varies from park to park). The gold prospecting turned out to be very successful, so a mine railway was built so that the gold could be mined even more effectively. What was unknown to the gold diggers, however, was that the mountain was a cursed place for the indigenous people , which under no circumstances was to be entered. After a short time, the desecration of the mountain caused a great tragedy (Anaheim and Paris: earthquake , Orlando: tidal wave , Tokyo: tsunami ), which led to the flourishing gold rush town quickly coming to an abrupt end and being abandoned by the settlers. Some time later it was found that the mine trains turned their rounds independently in the mines of Big Thunder Mountain, so that the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was founded in the ruins of the old mining camp to offer a spectacle to all visitors.
history
background
Around a year after Disneyland made its debut in 1955, the Rainbow Caverns Mine Train attraction opened its doors to visitors in Frontierland . The theme of the attraction was a drive through a lively, lavishly designed desert landscape, which became known as the Living Desert . Like its successor, Mine Train through Nature's Wonderland from 1960, this attraction stood at the point where Big Thunder Mountain would later do its laps. The theme of the lively desert landscape has been retained since 1956, the scenery or backdrop has been adapted from attraction to attraction. In addition, adjustments were made to the stories told.
In the run-up to the grand opening of the Magic Kingdom in October 1971, there was wild speculation among the public as to which attractions the new amusement park would include. In fact, when it opened, many well-known attractions were ready to offer guests the same experience as they would in California , with the exception of Pirates of the Caribbean . The Imagineers thought during the planning phase that due to their geographic location and local legends, Florida residents would be less impressed by pirates than guests at Disneyland. Rather, they expected to be able to inspire the visitors with cowboys and Indians . In the course of this, the concept of the Western River Expedition was developed under the supervision of the imagineer Marc Davis . Located in the northwest corner of the Frontierland in the Magic Kingdom, visitors should take an exciting river trip through the desert landscape of the Wild West, while many animatronics should convey the feeling of a living animal world. Although the attraction never opened in the end, some animatronics in the form of bisons have already been built, which can be admired today in the Living with the Land attraction in Epcot .
Shortly after the park opened, calls for the famous pirate trip were loud, which prompted the decision-makers at Disney to build Pirates of the Caribbean in the Magic Kingdom as well. When the long-awaited attraction opened in December 1973, the original plans of the Western River Expedition were put on hold for the time being, mainly due to financial concerns. Tony Baxter , a young imagineer at the time, suggested that only the mine drive of the original concept should be built, which was not realized for the time being with the opening of Space Mountain 1974. These additional years of planning time ultimately helped the roller coaster run smoothly, as Big Thunder Mountain was one of the first Disney attractions to be planned with the help of computers.
In January 1977, the Mine Train through Nature's Wonderland attraction at Disneyland was finally closed to make way for the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Many elements of the previous attractions were reused or elements were built into the new roller coaster, which should pay tribute to the predecessors. The fictional mining town of Rainbow Ridge (which was built in 1956 as a scenery for the Rainbow Caverns Mine Train ) was also reused, so that it is still an integral part of the attraction today. This can be traced back to the imagineer Tony Baxter, who was in charge of planning and realizing the new roller coaster. Another innovation was that the backdrop of the roller coaster (the various hills, rocks, etc.) was first built resp. the existing elements were expanded and only then the rails of the railway were laid. The aim was to make the entire experience look more realistic.
Opening and further developments
Anaheim
On September 2, 1979, the new highlight of Disneyland, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, was inaugurated. Further versions should follow in all Disney parks (with the exception of Hong Kong Disneyland, which Frontierland does not own at all).
In January 2013, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disneyland in Anaheim closed to renovate the entire roller coaster. In addition to renewed railway tracks and towing vehicles, the historic mining town of Rainbow Ridge was restored and the mountain scenery was repainted. The reopening took place on March 17, 2014, and the public opinion on the innovations is consistently positive.
Orlando
About a year after the opening of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Disneyland, the attraction of the same name was inaugurated in the Magic Kingdom. The roller coaster, which was opened to visitors on November 15, 1980, is very similar in terms of the routing of its sister attraction in Anaheim (with the exception of one section at the beginning of the track). However, the area of the entire roller coaster is slightly larger, which is due to the fact that the Magic Kingdom basically offers more space than Disneyland.
The first renovation of the version in the Magic Kingdom began in August 2016 and lasted until the end of November of the same year. Among other things, the waiting area was changed significantly. Many interactive elements have been integrated for the visitors so that the waiting time can be bridged with fun and games. In addition, the story of the attraction has been revised a little.
Tokyo
Big Thunder Mountain (without Railroad in its name) opened in Tokyo Disneyland on July 4th, 1987, a good four years after the park opened. The route is a mixture of the versions in Anaheim and Orlando, whereby it can be compared more with the version in Orlando due to the size.
The roller coaster is now the only version that has not yet been renovated. But it was announced that a corresponding renovation will take place in the near future.
Paris
Just like its counterpart in Tokyo, the roller coaster opened on April 12, 1992, was named Big Thunder Mountain. In addition, the Paris version is the only one that was built together with the entire park and opened at the same time. The attraction also differs from the other parks in terms of its structure. The actual trip is on an island in the middle of the Rivers of the Far West, the Parisian interpretation of the Rivers of America. The boarding area is on the opposite side of the river, i.e. on the mainland.
In November 2015, the attraction of a renovation has been subjected to, and including various props from the so-called Ghost Towns (dt. Ghost Towns ) in the United States bought and were integrated into the roller coaster. In addition, the wood was replaced in various places. The restoration was successfully completed on December 17th of the following year.
various
All railways have trains with five cars, each of which can occupy three rows with two people each. There are six of these trains in Anaheim, Orlando and Paris, but only five of them can run at the same time.
Passengers on all four lanes must be at least 1 m (40 inches) tall to ride. In Paris you should also be at least 3 years old.
photos
The hoodoos of the Anaheim scenery
Anaheim
Florida
Florida
Entrance in Tokyo
Paris
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Deadly accident
On September 5, 2003, a fatal accident occurred on the " Big Thunder Mountain Railroad " at the Disneyland Resort in California. When the train went up the first elevator, the rear bogie of the locomotive (1st car) broke. As a result, the 2nd car was pushed under the locomotive, which injured a 22-year-old passenger who had been sitting in the front of the 2nd car in the head and chest so badly that he died.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Yesterland: Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland. Retrieved October 29, 2019 .
- ↑ Today in Disney History: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Opened at Disneyland Park in 1979. Retrieved October 29, 2019 (American English).
- ↑ Cole Geryak: Disney Extinct Attractions: Western River Expedition. In: LaughingPlace.com. March 9, 2017, Retrieved October 29, 2019 (American English).
- ↑ Interview with Tony Baxter. February 6, 2012, archived from the original on February 6, 2012 ; accessed on October 29, 2019 .
- ↑ Big Thunder Mountain Railroad to Reopen March 17 at Disneyland Park. Retrieved October 29, 2019 (American English).
- ↑ 東京 デ ィ ズ ニ ー リ ゾ ー ト ・ オ フ ィ シ ャ ル ウ ェ ェ ブ サ イ ト. Retrieved October 29, 2019 .
- ↑ Big Thunder Mountain reopens at Disneyland Paris - Disneyland Paris News. Retrieved October 29, 2019 (American English).
- ↑ Important recommendations and restrictions. Disneyland Park Paris, accessed August 22, 2007 .
- ^ Accident report ( Memento from March 30, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ " Death At Disneyland-430a " / video report on YouTube