Magic Kingdom's Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Refurbishment Update: First New Track Positioned

Feb 07, 2025 in "Big Thunder Mountain Railroad"

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Big Thunder Mountain Refurbishment - February 5, 2025

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Posted: Friday February 7, 2025 11:40am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Progress continues on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad refurbishment at Magic Kingdom, with a significant milestone reached this week—the first pieces of new track have been positioned inside the mountain.

Big Thunder Mountain Refurbishment - February 5, 2025

New Track Now in Place

One new track section is now visible near the entrance into the mountain, providing the first look at the reconstruction phase of the project. While a lot of the work remains hidden inside the mountain, this visible portion confirms that track replacement is officially underway.

Big Thunder Mountain Refurbishment - February 5, 2025

The installation follows weeks of demolition, which saw all of the old track removed from the exterior. With new track now being placed, crews are beginning the process of rebuilding the ride system from the inside out.

Big Thunder Mountain Refurbishment - February 5, 2025

More Scaffolding and Work Inside the Queue

In addition to the track installation, new scaffolding has been added around the mountain, providing access to areas where further work is needed. Scaffolding has been appearing in different sections throughout the refurbishment, indicating that multiple aspects of the ride are being addressed simultaneously.

Big Thunder Mountain Refurbishment - February 5, 2025

Meanwhile, workers have been spotted inside the queue area building, suggesting that improvements may also be underway there. While it's unclear whether the changes are structural, operational, or related to guest experience, it's another sign that this refurbishment goes beyond just track replacement.

Big Thunder Mountain Refurbishment - February 5, 2025

Timeline and What's Next

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad closed for refurbishment on January 6, 2025, with Disney confirming that the ride will reopen sometime in 2026. Previous permits suggest the work could extend into at least March 2026.

With track installation now underway, the focus will likely shift toward completing the retracking process and rebuilding areas of the mountain that were removed to access the ride system.

Big Thunder Mountain Refurbishment - February 5, 2025

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JoeCamel4 days ago

212%?

JD805 days ago

Anyone have a guess on the percentage of new track installed?

splah6 days ago

I wanted to set the line on the number of planks ha like guess the jellybeans in the jar

trainplane37 days ago

Considering there's already mounting points built under the main rail, yes.

Raineman7 days ago

Just one can?

FrontierSpirit8 days ago

Disappointed this won’t be open in December. Oh well, next visit.

lazyboy97o8 days ago

Wood is cheap, especially if it just needs to sit there out of reach.

MisterPenguin8 days ago

Cardboard and a can of Scotch Guard. Done.

DisneyCane8 days ago

I'm surprised they used wood and not just plastic or another composite made to look like wood to eliminate rotting. They don't have any structural purpose so they could be made out of cardboard if it would hold up outdoors.

MerlinTheGoat9 days ago

The new track looks like it has the correct size spaces to fit two wood ties between each pair of metal support beams, same as the old track. That will come much later though, it'll be after they fill back in the rockwork they had to tear out. I'm not sure whether these beams are bolted into the track structure or the rockwork, possibly the latter or both depending on the area. They have actually removed and replaced quite a lot of these wood ties over the years, presumably as they've rotted out. I know it went without some of them when the ride was being neglected heavily (even moreso than recently) in the early 2010s. Pretty sure replacements can even be done overnight. As for the track color, I also wonder what they intend to do. I believe it's actually possible to paint coaster track even on site after it has been installed. So I suppose that's plausible. That said, it's possible they intend to just let it age naturally and develop a bit of surface grime and rust on its own. Most of the track structure below the rails and connecting crossbeams is going to be covered by the themed elements such as the rockwork. And the supporting crossbeams will also be somewhat offset and obscured by the wooden ties. They could also add some paint and fake weathering on these beams too without issue. We'll see. Things do weather on their own pretty fast in Orlando.

DisneyFanatic129 days ago

I’m really hoping they do. I know they have to install similar track, but the track definitely looks like it’s made to have wooden ties in it. The bars that the wood sits on even look to have holes for the screws maybe.

Disnutz3119 days ago

I think we all look at the progress on the track and get excited. But there is still a lot to go. While the track is 97% the same it looks like it sits higher than the previous track in some areas and in others causing the rock work to be edited all over. There is a lot of rock work repair that has to happen as in big holes and huge runs of chipped away areas to repair. Do the fake wooden tracks come back? I assume they would paint the mountain as well during this time. Have to build a maintenance track and shed. New Effects. Then a lot of testing. I don't think this thing is opening too early if at all.

splah9 days ago

What's the over/under on the number of railroad ties they install under the tracks also, still a curious choice they went with black track instead of brown