Whistle Stop Toy & Hobby

Whistle Stop Toy & Hobby is a family-owned, old-fashioned hobby shop at 1719 Centre Plz in Alexandria, Virginia, and it is a toy-and-hobby store rather than a card shop. The shelves run to trains, Lego, models and remote control cars, and a large picture window shows off a train layout to anyone walking past. It suits parents, grandparents and hobbyists looking for the kind of shop where the staff know the products, and it is the organizer of a long-running holiday train ride for local families.

What's on the shelves

The store carries N through G gauge trains, including Lionel sets for first-time buyers, along with Thomas the Tank Engine, Lego sets, remote control cars, planes and helicopters, die cast cars and military pieces, slot cars, rockets, model kits, paints and scenery. Airsoft guns and kites are also stocked. The store is the exclusive carrier in the DC metro area of the I'm The Boss Of Me board book series, a children's series created by a local Northern Virginia author.

Customers who call ahead can have an order delivered curbside.

The window layout

The train layout in the front window is the store's calling card. It changes with the seasons, with Spring, Halloween and Christmas displays, and visitors of all ages can pick out the details from the sidewalk without stepping inside.

Birthday party rentals

Two party options are available for children. The Lego party is a bin of thousands of pieces rented for 24 hours. The Thomas the Tank Engine package includes a deluxe party table with attached track, a roundhouse and 25 to 30 figures, an engineer's cap for the guest of honor in pink or blue, plates, napkins and cups for eight, and a custom cake that serves 20. Families with a lot of children to entertain can rent both.

The annual Santa train

Each December the store runs the Santa Railway Express, a round trip by train from King Street Station in Alexandria to Old Town Manassas. 2026 marks the 20th year. The train departs at 1:30 PM and returns at 4:30 PM.

In Manassas, passengers leave the train for about 1 hour and 15 minutes while hot chocolate, cookies and water are served. Story time is held in the station, and Santa answers questions on the platform. Mr. and Mrs. Claus are aboard to greet children with a holiday treat.

Tickets are $29.99 each and are sold in person at the store only. Everyone needs a ticket, infants included, and each ride is limited to 200 people.

The ride drew coverage from The Washington Post and the Old Town Alexandria Patch in 2016.

History

The store opened on May 1, 2005. It grew out of the owner's lifelong train collecting and years of traveling the country to train collectors' shows, which built an inventory large enough to open a retail shop.

Since then the store has taken part in community events around Alexandria, including First Thursday in Del Ray, Second Thursdays in Old Town, the Campagna Center's Scottish Christmas Walk and the Lyceum's Railroad Days. It also runs clinics and events with local preschools, schools and scout troops. It belongs to the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce and the National Retail Hobby Association, among other hobby and train collector groups.

The local scene

Several other game and hobby stores sit within a few miles. Aftertime Comics and Your Hobby Place are in Alexandria, about 2.3 and 2.5 miles away. Game Keeper and Anime TCG are in Arlington, about 2.7 miles away, and Eagle & Empire Game & Hobby Shop is in Alexandria, about 3.9 miles away.