Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars, Steel roller coaster in Grizzly Gulch, Hong Kong Disneyland, Hong Kong
Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars is a Vekoma mine train coaster in Grizzly Gulch at Hong Kong Disneyland, with 1,100 metres of track. Its centrepiece is an 88-foot mountain made from 3,850 tonnes of cement, shaped by 30 sculptors and 20 painters over 14 months. The entrance portal has a timber frame with a "BLASTING DO NOT ENTER" sign and a "DYNAMITE CAUTION!" sign; vintage mine cars run on steel rails through a dark tunnel.
In 2009 Hong Kong Disneyland won Legislative Council approval to add three themed areas, and groundbreaking took place on 13 December 2009. The mountain was built over 14 months by 30 sculptors and 20 painters, using 3,850 tonnes of cement. The ride began soft openings in June 2012 and opened officially on 14 July 2012.
The ride's story turns on Chinese number homophones: trains are meant to leave from Tunnel 8, whose number sounds like "luck", but bear Rocky accidentally switches them onto Tunnel 4, which sounds like "death". The 1888 date of the tale, 8 August 1888, repeats the lucky number.
The 1,100-metre track carries nearly 500 safety sensors, described by the park as the most on any coaster; if the system halts the cars, around 100 riders can leave via platforms and stairs along the rails within 20 minutes. Staff are split into five teams for evacuation. The ride lasts about three minutes.
Three animatronic bears named Rocky, Mother Lode, and Nugget trigger track changes during the ride by activating automated switches that cause sudden directional shifts. These unexpected maneuvers happen as the mine cars interact with the positioned bear figures along the route.
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