Lionel Linex Oil Pumper

I purchased a Linex oil pumper last week, brought it home and hooked it up to the layout, however I wanted a continuous operation so I by-passed the switch. It was working great, maybe for 10 operating sessions for 30 minutes at a time. However when I went to turn it on this morning the fluid was low, on closer inspection the top of the tub cracked and the fluid bubbled up out of the top and ate away at the top plastic pipe! What is in that tube anyway?! I made sure that the accessory had 12-14v max. just like the instructions said. Nobody dropped it or played with it… is this a freak accident or did Lionel issue this with a switch for a reason? I’m off to buy some more tubes, they are only 2 dollars, just wanted to know if I should buy a bunch if this is a common issue. And should I operate with the switch from now on…

Thanks for the help.

To my knowledge, the tube contains methylene chloride (sp?). It can be harmful, so be careful. I suspect the tube cracked due to a defect in the glass, not by use. Those tubes are also used on Chrtistmas tree lights, and those can be on all day without any ill effects.