Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Overhaul Preparations Continue as Another Permit is Filed

7 days ago in "Big Thunder Mountain Railroad"

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad overview
Posted: Wednesday December 4, 2024 1:47pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Disney has filed a new permit for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom as preparations continue for the extensive refurbishment project starting in early 2025.

The permit, filed today, is assigned to long-time Disney Imagineering partner Elite AV Systems Inc. and expires on December 3, 2025.

Elite AV Systems Inc. has a history of working on recent Disney projects, focusing on technical and electrical components.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is scheduled to close on January 6, 2025, for what Disney has described as its most extensive refurbishment to date. Previous permits for the project included work with Coastal Steel Inc. for general construction and DPR Construction for complex structural updates. The DPR Construction permit is valid through March 13, 2026.

Disney has previously said it plans to reopen Big Thunder Mountain in 2026, promising the ride will return with "a little bit of new magic."

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JoeCamel2 hours ago

danlb_20002 hours ago

It's needed to be able to reach most of the mountain.

ToTBellHop5 hours ago

They really should do that in the Cars construction site.

Coaster Lover6 hours ago

Just put some eyes over the front window and call it "themeing"! ;)

Blobbles7 hours ago

Dreamlights crane says hello

TheCoasterNerd7 hours ago

Oh that's gonna be a big one... That'll suck for sightlines. Not that WDW has ever been the best at those

danlb_20007 hours ago

Bocabear8 hours ago

any effects would be great...now that Frontierland will just be this coaster surrounded by Carsland and the Louisiana Bayou, they should actually put a lot more into it...The rides original effects with the earthquake and falling boulders and gold vein were really cool but they were removed decades ago...

tissandtully8 hours ago

Just give us the DL effects too please! It's all my kids are asking for now after being at DLR this summer lol.

Bocabear8 hours ago

wasn't that Hugh Crane?

ToTBellHop9 hours ago

This explains the recent arrival of cranes on site to build the crane-building crane: Fun fact: Crane-building crane-building cranes are paid in guest hand-outs instead of money.

danlb_200010 hours ago

That does happen. Large mobile cranes sometime need to be assembled on site, so you need smaller cranes to do that.

JoeCamel13 hours ago

That looks like the crane to assemble the crane

BirdbyBird19 hours ago

Does Disneyland get fast tracked through permits or is California for them too?