The first three shots for today are not recent photos of the Big Thunder Mountain refurb that began this month; instead, they are photos showing the original construction of this Disneyland attraction. Thanks to Daveland reader Bill H., you can have this behind the scenes glimpse.
Bill's photos are from March 1979, seven months before opening day on September 2, 1979.
These two shots, taken just a few months after opening, are the earliest ones in my collection:
Bill also sent this action-packed you-are-there style shot from May 1983:
Currently, there is a huge crane looming overhead BTMRR, assisting in the present-day refurbishment:
The rumor mills have been buzzing about the possible destruction of Rainbow Ridge as well as the whispered additions of elements that will tie into a future movie based on this attraction. Only time will tell whether any of those things will happen.
See more vintage and current Disneyland Big Thunder Mountain Railroad photos on my Big Thunder Mountain Railroad photo web page.
Thanks to Bill H. for sharing and to Dave for posting these original constructions shots! It's great to see early images of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
ReplyDeleteI knew they were doing a tie-in to the planned ABC show, but I thought Rainbow Ridge was just being re-built exactly the same because the original structures were rotting. So you think they might actually eliminate it? I sure hope not!
Neat, especially the one where you can see the trains in the shed. Construction shots rule!
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