BAR HARBOR, Maine — A bus that broke down while traveling up Cadillac Summit Road at Acadia National Park prompted the closure of that road for about seven hours on Saturday, a park spokesman said Sunday.
The trouble began about 2 p.m., when park rangers and the Bar Harbor Fire Department were called to the road to look into a report of smoke coming from the rear of a motor coach, park spokesman John Kelly said Sunday.
The driver of the bus, operated by Stagecoach Tours and Charters, stopped in the road about a half-mile from the top of the mountain to let passengers off. Park rangers then closed the road to upbound traffic so that the damaged motor coach could be removed from the mountain, Kelly said.
While no flames were showing when rescuers arrived, smoke was coming from the rear of the motor coach and a line of oil stretched for more than a half-mile down the road.
Apparently, a line broke causing about 5 gallons of oil to spill on the hot engine and the road, Kelly said. Absorbant was used to clean up the spill.
Park rangers arranged to have a tow truck remove the motor coach and called for another bus to return the stranded motor coach passengers to Bar Harbor to rejoin their cruise ship.
However, the first tow truck that arrived was not up to the task and another was brought in. During the tow operation, damage to the motor coach’s brake lines was found, so additional help was called in to repair the brake lines in case the motor coach could not be towed down the entire length of the road.
The tow truck began moving the motor coach down narrow, winding Cadillac Summit Road around 7:30 p.m., Kelly said. With spotting and slow movement, the vehicles did not need to disconnect. The 3-mile trip took about 40 minutes, he said.
No injuries were reported.