@Bill Webb posted:75% of what we get from Lionel has something that is broken when received. We generally don’t preorder and we seldom order Lionel at all. But we do buy new trains and have six engines and a bunch of Virginian hoppers on order from Scott.
For us, Lionel has taken the fun out of buying their products and we own a tremendous amount of Lionel purchased over the last 50+ years. We would love to again be a happy Lionel customer.
I enjoy Lionel LC starter sets, especially the passenger train sets like the recent Blue Comet and the Super Chief. Both winners. BUT... you are correct that quality control can be fleeting.
So I have a workaround and it never fails me: I’m an Amazon prime member and I buy Lionel starter sets ONLY from Amazon. Why? Because if it doesn’t work, I have 30 days to return and they pay the shipping. I am guaranteed to wind up with a working set or it goes back at no loss to me.
I have not had to send many sets back. Lucky I guess. But I did send back two Hogwarts Express sets before giving up.
