Are you a fan of Disney’s Big Thunder Mountain Railroad?
There are a lot of ways to show off your love for the Disney attraction (including tons of merchandise), but one Disney fan is taking the ride to the next level and creating his own miniature version of the ride in his backyard!
According to the Orange Country Register, Sean LaRochelle (who created a backyard roller coaster inspired by Disneyland’s Matterhorn Bobsleds earlier this year) is working on his next project — the Little Thunder Roller Coaster.
The new coaster has taken the place of his former ride, Matterhorn: Alpine Escape, in his parent’s backyard and will stand 14 feet tall once completed. Plus, there will be plenty of thrills along the way including an “8-foot-drop, banked turns, and a helix over 750 feet of track.”
And, it’s more than just the ride that LaRochelle is taking inspiration from Disney for — he’s also creating his very own backstory for the attraction!
The Little Thunder will take riders on a journey through an Old West town (which they are designing themselves) that has been overtaken by a “deadly outlaw gang.” Halfway through the attraction, the train will come to a complete stop where riders must decide how they react to the outlaw gang leader and, depending on their decision, the ride will change.
The coaster in total is a 2.5-minute experience and includes a “dark ride-style show element,” a launch from zero to 25 mph in 1.2 seconds, “lasers, geysers, light sensors, fog machines, air pistons,” and even a chewing goat that you might recognize from the Disneyland attraction.
The entire project cost $15,000 and is just about halfway completed. But, potential riders won’t have to wait long to hop on the backyard attraction — it is set to debut in Napa, California on August 7th!Â
We’ll continue to keep an eye out for more Disney news and updates, so be sure to stay tuned to AllEars for the latest!
Check out Seven Things You Didn’t Know About Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
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What do you think about the backyard project? Let us know in the comments!
What a crazy coincidence! My husband and I just finished our version of Disney’s People Mover! It goes down the entire length of our street, pausing slowly right in front of each neighbors living room window. We take a peek and then move onto the next! Our next project will be Tron! Hope our backyard is big enough!