As part of this week’s hit-and-run trip to Southern
California, I made a special trip to the Disneyland Hotel yesterday. Just so I
could then check out that replica of the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad which
had recently been installed in the Frontier tower lobby.
Photo by Jim Hill
When you’re in the park itself, while it’s relatively easy for
Guests to enjoy this runaway mine train ride, you can’t really get a sense while
you’re actually riding the thing how genuinely clever Big Thunder Mountain’s
design is.
Photo by Jim Hill
But as you look down at this 1/20th scale model
(which is a replica of one of the nine plaster versions of Big Thunder that the
Imagineers built back in the early 1970s. As they tried to get a handle on the
best possible track layout for Frontierland‘s first thrill-ever ride) …
Photo by Jim Hill
… you then realize how much show & spectacle the
Imagineers managed to cram into this teeny 3-acre space.
Photo by Jim Hill
That there isn’t an inch of this Bryce Canyon-inspired
landscape …
Photo by Jim Hill
… that doesn’t either provide Guests with a thrill …
Photo by Jim Hill
… and/or given them a quick laugh …
Photo by Jim Hill
… thanks a well-staged bit of business or tableau.
Photo by Jim Hill
If you’d like to get a sense of how all of the pieces fit
together here …
Photo by Jim Hill
… how “The Wildest Ride in the Wilderness” doesn’t waste even an inch of space …
Photo by Jim Hill
… the very next time you’re at the Disneyland Resort, make a
point of heading over to the Disneyland Hotel so that you can then check out
this absolutely amazing model.
Photo by Jim Hill
Just be sure to ” … hang onto them hats and glasses” as you
peer down into that display case, okay?