Lionel cataloged the 264 for only four years, from 1957 through 1960. That fact and the fascination this accessory creates have caused demand for working examples to swell in recent years. Not surprisingly, prices for 264s in excellent or better condition have steadily risen until they now surpass $400. With interest climbing as quickly as the value of postwar examples, Lionel wisely decided to reissue this great accessory.
Now you can install one on your O gauge model railroad for only $249.95, although this version (no. 6-14000) does not come with the special 6264 flatcar you will need. (Lionel offers the no. 6-19484 flatcar for $39.95.)
The Operating Forklift Platform is virtually ready to go right out of the box. Just snap the white plastic boom into the hole on the brown plastic superstructure and secure the forklift in place by fitting it onto a small, upright metal rod.
Next, hook up the three insulated green wires to the correct screws on the platform, the controller, and your transformer. The accessory needs 12 to 18 volts to operate. It took me all of 5 minutes to get our 264 unpacked and set to run.
One side of the 10 by 105/8-inch black-painted stamped-metal base has a channel in which to place two sections of straight O or O-27 tubular track. That’s where you park the two-bay flatcar filled with lumber.
Lionel includes 17 boards cut to the proper size. Don’t forget to lift off the car’s inner stakes that hold the timber in place for transport.
Now you’re ready to do some work. Slide the switch on the controller to get the motor running. That’s it! Larry the Loader immediately shifts his truck into gear and drives to the flatcar.
The jaws open up and grab a board, and then the forklift scurries backward, turns around, and heads to the middle of the base. There it automatically drops the wood and prepares for the next trip. Doesn’t sound like much, but it will dazzle you and all your buddies.
The forklift goes back for more until the first bay is as bare as Mother Hubbard’s cupboard. A spring in the mechanism allows the forklift to pick up lumber in any position across the width of the flatcar. Then you need to move the flatcar until its second bay is in the right position for the forklift to start picking it clean.
Once all the timber is stacked on the platform, you can send a locomotive over to couple to the flatcar and take it away. Pretty soon, it will be time to gather up the boards and carefully place them back on the flatcar so you can start the show again.
