Big Thunder Mountain Railroad - July 17 1980

Sue B. has scanned more of Lou Perry's slides (Lou is her dad, of course); these are from 1980, and they feature the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, which had opened less than a year earlier (on September 2, 1979). Based on the number of photos Lou took, he was mighty interested in this new attraction!I can almost hear the fast "chugga-chugga" sound that these runaways trains make - reminds me of a pressure cooker. And the high-pitched whistle keeps ghosts away, as has been proven by science. Lou was faster on the "draw" and got this locomotive as it screamed past! I can't help thinking of the Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland, but I really do like BTMRR - if only there had been a way that we had both. Impossible with Disneyland's limited real estate.It's comforting to see some of the familiar old Rainbow Ridge buildings, repurposed for the new attraction (I am unclear if the buildings were completely rebuilt or not). We've seen many vintage photos of the El Dorado Hotel, and…