The Original Whistle Stop

It’s hard to find a good Model train shop around these days and with many of them losing the battle VS the internet such as the case with Allied in Culver City finding one is like finding a 4 leaf clover.
I’ve been coming to this store on and off now for almost 2 years, I’m an HO modeler, and they have a decent selection of stuff. Upon entering, there is a community board, with info on train events, and people selling (train) stuff, such as kits, layouts, trains, etc. They have trains, signs, people, buildings, scenery, kits of all sorts of scales and sizes as well as books and videos.
In all the times I have come in whether to by something or just window shop, I have never had any problems with the customer service. On my last visit, I had my son with me, and they gladly turned on the train on the store Layout for him.
The parking lot in the back is fairly small, but I usually am lucky enough to find street parking in front.
As long as this store is still around, I’ll be coming back.

I went to the Whistle Stop Yesterday. Awesome store or should I say a candy store. Great selection of both Steam and Diesel Locomotives. I was looking to buy a Lionel Legacy Diesel Locomotive and learned exactly what I will need to run it. Never tried to push anything on me. It was just a very nice experience. I just wish they were a little closer.

I’ve been to The Original Whistle Stop a few times in the past and have always been impressed with their selection and knowledgeable staff.
I came in last weekend with my daughter because, like any kid, young or old, she loves trains! I was helped by Tom who took his time to explain all the details of the Power Cab DCC system. He never tried to push anything on me and gave me the pros and cons of each system available. Once I made my decision on a track set, DCC control system, locomotive, he showed me how to program the locomotive and gave me tips on how to run it and clean in. He truly has a passion for this hobby and it shows in his knowledgeability and expertise.
He gave my daughter an Original Whistle Stop pin which she was super excited to get. To say the least, he went above and beyond anything I ever would have expected in customer service.
I purchased another locomotive the next day and was having a hard time programming it with the DCC system. I called them up and spoke to Bill. He gave some tips over the phone and told me to bring the locomotive in any time and he would program it for me, free of charge.
In this age of big box, cookie cutter stores with dismal customer service, it is refreshing to go to a shop like The Original Whistle Stop and feel like the customer is truly number one.

I’ve shopped here for classroom modeling materials and they are always helpful. Very friendly service.

I only give this one star because it was organized and clean! The man we talked to there when asking about selling a train was a jerk, a boubous ass … Rude and not worth our time of day! We will not be back because they keep their trains up their asses !!

Excellent customer service, fair prices, very knowledgable staff. Something for every model railroader. One of the few left train only stores.

This review has nothing to do with what they sell. I called trying to see if they would be interested in purchasing my father’s old Lionel train set. They politely declined, but were wonderful in directing me to another shop that would help me out. They weren’t annoyed, or rude like some of the other places I called. This was customer service the way it should be done. 5 stars for wonderful customer service and making my day. Thank you.

This is my favorite east side train shop. Great selection and knowledgable staff. Very friendly.

Awesome little shop… great service (very friendly)… amazing just to see everything

Great guys. Even gave me a strip of free track

Great selection. Very helpful. Beautiful vintage sign out front.

The store is geared for the high-​end, detailed model railroader. They emphasize locomotives with 4-​digit price tags and tiny accent pieces for custom model making. The selection is very good and geared mostly to HO than N and O scales. The pricing is flat retail with no discounts.

This shop is seriously an endangered species. For the die hard model railroad fans, this is their Mecca to pick up train and supplies. I brought my other hear to look for a train and was literally blown away by the prices of these models! Don’t get me wrong, these models are very cool and well-​built, but it is an investment to own these toys. They also have an amazing selection of books, videos, and DVD’s to excite and soothe the train-​loving soul. Hopefully, my brother will be able to find the train set of his dreams soon!

This place is large and has such a wide selection. Being a woman, I couldn’t help but notice the cool décor on the walls. Lots of railroad décor, but cool stuff. Not just stuff that you can find just anywhere. They have this awesome display in the middle of the second room that they have. I probably sat there in amazement for a few minutes as I watched the train going through the crafted mountains, and the detail that that was put into it such as the cattle running through the water stream. It really is a great sight.
This place has older gentlemen working there, I’m pretty sure that one of them the day I was there owns the place. I really enjoyed hearing them talking with other older customers about Vietnam and the war. I didn’t care that they didn’t ask us if we needed help, I enjoyed listening to them and I knew that they’d stop to help us had we asked.
My husband recently visited here without me the other day to purchase some stuff for our N scale model that we’re making. He said that they were more than helpful there to accommodate them and give honest opinions, not just a sales pitch. Hubby says that we will be back to purchase more stuff as we go, and I wont hesitate either because I love looking at the stuff that they have in there.

I love this place! One of the last few remaining model train stores in Southern California. A true gem! They have everything! What they don’t, they will try to get for you. The staff is friendly, and are experts. They don’t just know the stuff they sell, but are model train builders as well, and have a wealth of knowledge they are willing to share. This is a great place to get your first train, or to add to your existing. If anything, stop by with the kids just to see the Trains go around the layout they have in the middle of the store, or in the window.

This store has a beautiful working train in the shop !
They have everything you can think of and more! Little trees, little people, lots of trains, books, and lots of little tiny parts.
People here are very nice and very knowledgeable !

Amazing selection. If I were a «serious» hobbyist, this is the kind of place I’d look for.
Unfortunately, the staff member who helped me was unfriendly and uninterested in being helpful. To top it off, he was sarcastic to me when I made my purchase (which included some of the stuff he said they didn’t stock).
I don’t mind paying a little more to help out a local business, but there’s no way I’d put up with that kind of attitude AND pay more.
It’s back to on-​line stores for me.

This shop always brings back the train enthusiast (YES, I love trains) in me. Great store that has pretty much any type of model train for the collector or the enthusiast with miles of track at home.
If you want to get started on model training, this is the shop. If you want to gain a little knowledge on the hobby, this is the shop. If you just want to look at cool models of every train imaginable and get lost thinking about the insanely amazing network of tracks you can make, this is the shop.

This was a very interesting shop. I’ve seen huge, elaborate model train sets with complex landscapes in movies and television shows, but I’ve never seen a shop that sold what you need to make one of them. That is where the Original Whistle Stop comes in.
The store is wall-​to-​wall with different types of trains and accessories (from little trees to benches to people to houses and so on). I’m not familiar with what these type of items usually cost. That being said, the prices here were definitely not cheap.
I’ve often found with specialty goods, your best bet is online, but the Original Whistle Stop provides you an opportunity to shop for many model train products in person.
Parking is available on the street.

This is a great store. You may not think you are into model trains, but you probably will be after visiting this place. They have a terrific selection of anything having to do with model trains.
Fred, the owner, knows this business better than anyone. You’ll probably end up being his best friend if you visit here. He also has a great sense of humor, which is a necessity for all die-​hard Raiders fans.
Make sure you let Fred know you are pulling for the Silver & Black to win the Superbowl – when they next get there in the year 2024.