Now that all the new track has been installed on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Magic Kingdom, Disney is starting to test the track and envelope.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Refurbishment
As we reported in our last construction update, there is a yellow cart on the track for testing. From the Liberty Square Riverboat, we could see the cart is still where we first saw it, right at the end of this curve heading into the mountain.
This small cart is just used to test how ride vehicles will move on the new track, ensuring a smooth experience (at least as smooth as Big Thunder Mountain Railroad should be). Since the cart hasn’t moved, testing in this area might not have begun yet.
There’s a gap in the mountain near this curve of track where rock work was torn away. The mountain’s steel framework is visible through the gap.
Beyond the small yellow cart, we can see that the new track extends into the mountain. One of the final pieces of exterior track was recently completed, leading us to believe that most, if not all, of the new track installation work may now be complete. Since we can’t see all of the interior track for ourselves, we can only speculate.
There is still exposed concrete at the bottom right closest to water. There appears to still be a good bit of work to be completed on the nearby supports.
Scaffolding is still present near one of the mountain peaks, which does appear to have a fresh paint job or protective coating.
Portions of the new track near the top of the mountain are covered in plastic, likely to protect them from painting and concrete work.
Inside the barn structure, a few tagged props still remain. In our last update, there was a white piece just to the right of the barn believed to be some sort of testing device.
That white device has now been replaced with a larger, yellow and black testing mechanism. These will help crew members run tests based on the size of the ride vehicles in order to make sure guests cannot accidentally get hurt because the new track is too close to the walls.
Another of the new testing devices can be seen past some of the rock structures and caution cones.
The safety devices are currently being used at the entrances and exits to buildings and caves along the coaster’s ride path, as these pose the largest safety concern in relation to guest position in ride vehicles.
Although the new track installation is likely complete, there are still orange caution cones sitting around this curve of the track for crew member safety.
From the Walt Disney World Railroad we could see the entire town of Tumbleweed is still completely covered in scaffolding as the repainting work continues. The Gold Dust Saloon Building looks to be nearly complete on the front side. This building, which was previously a darker shade of teal, is now all light blue.
While scaffolding is still up around Tumbleweed, the majority of crew members were focused on one project, which appears to be some new structural elements. There are some new wooden posts attached to the side of the track that were recently added to the project.
These wooden posts are a bit too close to the actual ride track to become permanent, so they are likely a temporary measure while work on this side continues.
Construction crew members were working on adding a painted sign to the left side of the saloon in our last update, and that sign now appears to be complete. It reads, “Hot Baths: Soap & Towels 5¢. The text is white on a red background.
While the first paint work began on the saloon, most of the other structures in Tumbleweed most have now been repainted. The short building to the left of the left of the stagecoach used to be a dark shade of brown, but it is now painted bright yellow. The stagecoach has also received a new coat of paint and signage.
The tree on the mountain range is also still completely surrounded by scaffolding as work continues on the facade, and likely interior, of the attraction before ride testing begins.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad closed for refurbishment in January and will reopen in 2026. A more exact opening timeframe was not announced, but the most recent permit related to construction expires in April 2026. Disney said the ride will have “a little bit of new magic” when it reopens.
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