I am thoroughly amused at the lengths some people go to defend Lionel at any cost. Fastrack lighted bumpers should work out of the box, first time, every time. But, they don't.
These things are not prototypical anyway. When or where was the last time you saw a lighted bumper at the end of a spur track? I use fastrack earthen bumpers on my layout and they look far more realistic.
Lionel has messed up again on quality control with this item. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.
Vern
Well of course you are right on the working out of the box. I do think however that it isn't so much defending Lionel, but rather more a dialog of where to go from here with a defective product. There is so much of this from Lionel and maybe other brands I don't know about, but for me it has become part of the hobby. What is broken when I remove it from the box and what am I going to do about it. I think sometimes I get as much satisfaction out of solving the problem than not having the issue to solve. Poor me, eh?
