Work is continuing on the repainting of the town of Tumbleweed and new metal siding has been added to the newly constructed structure behind Big Thunder Mountain Railroad as the lengthy refurbishment project continues.
Big Thunder Mountain Refurbishment Update
Our WDWNT reporter first grabbed some photos from just outside the entrance to Big Thunder Mountain, which originally closed for an extended refurbishment in January 2025. Brown construction walls continue to block the entire queue pathway, as well as the exit path to the right of the entrance.
Several of the main queue buildings are still covered by a brown scrim. Construction crew members can be seen working inside the buildings on what appears to be repainting the walls and exterior facade.
Crew members were also working on some of the faux rock work in the Big Thunder Mountain queue.
Work also continues on the mystery building being constructed between Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. In a recent update, several crew members were in the process of installing sheets of metal across what appears to be the roof of the new building. Now, several more sheets of metal have been installed on one side of the building.
From the deck of the Liberty Square Riverboat we did not see any major updates, although there is still a lot of construction equipment present.
In our last update, a portable generator had been moved to the side of the mountain just above the queue building. That has now been removed. In its place is a small red ladder and blue caution column.
Moving to the right side of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, the area is receiving more of the new track pieces.
The track for this sharp curve section by the water was installed a few weeks ago. Now there is some type of bright yellow equipment being used atop the track pieces. This may be an early testing vehicle to make sure the track is smooth and connected properly.
We then boarded the Walt Disney World Railroad to get a view of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad from the opposite side. We saw more construction crew members working in the Big Thunder Mountain queue.
From the Walt Disney World Railroad, we got a better view of the mystery building. Almost all of the metal siding appears to have been installed on the left side.
Previously, the backstage maintenance barn that typically housed non-operational trains was removed. The old building was replaced with construction equipment, caution cones, and broken concrete. While this new building could be a replacement for the old barn, it is much larger and could be part of the biggest Magic Kingdom expansion in history.
Crew members were working together on repainting the side of the Gold Dust Saloon. The building was formerly a brown color. It has now been painted a light blue.
Most of the buildings and facades in Tumbleweed have been wrapped in scaffolding just like the saloon, so all of the buildings in this area will likely be repainted in the coming weeks.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is expected to reopen from its lengthy refurbishment sometime in 2026. While previous construction permits for the area expired in February and March, Disney recently filed a new construction permit that does not expire until April 2026. Disney has teased that the attraction will have “a little bit of new magic” when it reopens, though no more details have been shared yet.
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