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{{Template:Infobox Disney ride |

| image=ThunderMountainDay.jpg

| land=Frontierland

| cost=17 million

| opened= November 15, 1980 (some sources state November 8)

| height_requirement=40

|custom_value_2= Yes

}}

{{Quotation| "What if we were to incorporate a thrill ride into the 'Western River' project? Maybe have a runaway mine train that rolled across the top of the mesa as well as down along the sides of the show building?" <ref name= "hill1"/>}}

Although the Western River Expedition was announced as "coming soon" in 1973 <ref name= "dated"/>, Marc Davis' masterpiece would never come to fruition. Contrary to Disney's beliefs, one of the most common questions that visitors to the Magic Kingdom had was "where are the pirates?" <ref> http://jimhillmedia.com/editor_in_chief1/b/jim_hill/archive/2001/01/01/274.aspx </ref>After seeing the attraction showcased on Walt Disney's Disneyland TV show, guests in Florida had expected to be able to ride the famed attraction. Due to the amount of guest demand, Disney decided that it needed to built Pirates, and plans for the Western River Expedition were put on hold.

====Music played in the Queue====

The musical loop played inside the queue for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is approximately 20 minutes long and features 14 songs. The songs included are <ref>http://community.magicmusic.net/threads/wdw-splash-mountain-big-thunder-mountain-railroad-playlists.3378/</ref>:

* West of the Wide Missouri

* All Aboard the Mine Train

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad begins with guests leaving the load station. The train immediately enters a dark tunnel and makes a left hand turn. While in the tunnel the sound of bats screeching can be heard. Inside the tunnel, the train makes a right hand turn and then begins to go up the attraction's first hill. On guest’s right, a series of caverns can be seen, before the train makes its way to the top of another hill. After another drop, the train turns right and goes up two small hills. At this time it is possible to see another runaway train pass by. The train then enters the town of Tumbleweed.

====Tumbleweed====

When guests enter Tumbleweed they will notice that town has been flooded. On the left hand side of the town, riders will see the Dry Good Store and the Gold Dust Saloon, which seems to be having a party on the second floor. On the right side of the tracks, a Tumbleweed sign says that they population went from 8015 to 247 to 15, before now reading "dried out". Next to the sign, guests can see one of the few remaining residents of Tumbleweed, Cousin Elrod, who floats along in his bathtub. Also in Tumbleweed on the riders left hand side is the rain man, Professor Cumulus Isobar, whose rain making machine seems to have worked a little too well. As the train passes through Tumbleweed riders will notice that the train seems to be swaying from side to side.

==Fun Facts and Trivia==

* The town of Tumbleweed was called Dry Gulch in promotional material prior to 1980. Dry Gulch was the name of a western town in Mac Davis' unbuilt Western River Expedition <ref> https://www.facebook.com/139910379361960/photos/a.139918122694519.19888.139910379361960/1042615299091459/?type=3&theater </ref>.

* In the Big Thunder Mountain queue, guests can find a plaque that reads "Joshua Hendry Machine Works, S.F. Cal." Not only did the Joshua Hendry Machine Works make real mining equipment in the 19th Century, but Arrow Development founders Andy Anderson, Karl Bacon, William Hardiman and Ed Morgan also worked at the company. Arrow Development would be instrumental in the creation of many of Disneyland's early attractions <ref> http://thinkingofdesign.blogspot.com/2017/02/hendy-homage-at-big-thunder-mountain.html </ref>

===Jason Surrell Backstory===

According Jason Surrell in his book “The Disney Mountains: Imagineering At It's Peak” Tony Baxter came up with this back story: