Great selection, knowledgeable staff and extremely friendly service. One of my son Jacob's favorite places!

This is a wonderful Hobby store! They specialize in model trains and also a lot of old nostalgia. I highly recommend stopping in and looking around, because the inventory is con changing. if you're into model trains, especially Lionel this is the place to come. They also have all different the selection of things from the 50s to present. The owner is very nice and accommodating, as well as very knowledgeable read more

I spoke with Gloria (the owner) on the phone two weeks ago about trains that my family had back in the day. She was kind and informative, and I told her I looked forward to stopping in. Today... I stopped in and here's what I saw. In this day and age... Dale's has it all as far as I'm concerned. Sure, there are trains everywhere. But, not only do they have amazing things in stock, her business feels like a business should. Knowledge was shared with me today. And... so was a nice chat outside on the bench. This is the kind of place that offers what the train enthusiast needs and it's served up with "genuine" warm and fuzzy. Pretentious? No way! Genuine and real? Absolutely. Just go... you'll probably be as amazed as I am. read more

Grandson (15 yrs old) loves this store. Gloria spent a longtime talking with him and teaching him about trains and railroad history. Going back Saturday. read more

Great store, friendly staff and great selection of all scale trains. Even if you are just interested in looking, there is plenty ty tosee.

Only store of its kind in the area! Every model train you could imagine new and old, as well as some antique toys! A gem!

I had a chance to stop by and check out trains for my 9yr old, the man that was working (Dale?) was very informative and also had suggestions for me to look into. It was a short trip, and was trying to contact my wife for advice, since my son is into steam engines, but they only had diesels in the starter sets, and he suggested that it's better for beginners because it's more durable/less moving parts that could easily get damage. I ended up waiting for my wife to call back (6 hr time difference) so I took my co worker to the mall next door(not a good thing, it's empty) well the wife didn't call back and we went for dinner, but never had a chance to go back. But would like to honestly say, that it's a good place to at least educate yourself on model trains, Hawaii needs a place like this read more

Walking into Dales's Train Station my first thought was that somebody has been to too many swap meets; buying a lot while not selling much. The place is cluttered and on the brink of being unsafe. Some of the aisles are almost completely blocked, boxes are stacked everywhere, and I even saw an unattended ladder in the middle of an aisle. I stopped in with my son, who loves trains, to take a look around. We did enjoy looking over the eclectic collection of trains and other toys. However, the sprawling space is very poorly organized and difficult to navigate. This may be a good spot for a serious hobbyist or to find a unique gift for a collector. Be ready to spend some money. Many of the items were priced well over $100. Not a good spot to shop for your kid. read more

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Such a cute train station collectors store. My father in law loves collecting trains for all the grandchildren. We have all boys so they like to go to his train room in the downstairs of his house. This store had a wide variety of trains, along with old collectors toys/memorabilia. The store owners/people who worked there were very friendly and helpful when my father in law had a question. My son and I personally enjoyed the giant train set up in the front of the store and the trains that circled overhead. It was just a nice hobby shop that had a lot of historical items there. read more

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My family and I have been making an annual trip to Dale's Train Station for 17 years to add to the Polar Express Lionel set bought for our son. It is always a magical and marvelous experience to wonder through the store and find something to add to our set. We can now mark the years by the pieces we have added, not all of them Polar Express. We miss Dale, but Gloria and her staff carry on the tradition providing a wide variety at a fair price and fantastic service after the sale. You don't even have to buy anything. Just go in and visit, but you'll find something you like, whether N, HO, O or any other scale. Start your own family tradition by going to Dale's and buying a starter set or adding to your collection. You won't regret it. read more

If you love model trains more than Dale I'd call you a liar. This man lives and breaths trains. This place has an awesome selection and a very helpful staff. If you're a beginner or have been doing this all your life, there's a something here for everyone. They also have in-house auction services and will repair and refurbish old or broken models. Take this review with a grain of salt though. Dale happens to be my uncle. read more

After walking in, I overheard a daughter telling her mom "this place is for men who haven't grown up!" Yes, that is correct and what a wonderful thing that is. Dale's exists somewhere between a "train hobbyist store" and "toy museum". Walk amongst the new offerings and cast-offs from the past and marvel at what fun playing with trains truly is. read more

Dale's Train Station - Toy Stores Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

Unhelpful employees. And I was thrown off by a 20% restocking fee which wasn't stated at purchase or noted on the receipt. Won't be back. read more

Had an old train from childhood and they cleaned it up and fixed everything wrong. Did an Amazing job!!! So much to look at and my kids love coming with me. So happy I found this place when I was living in Norfolk. Moved to North Carolina and still come back to Dale's. Great place and great people!!! read more

Pros Decent variety of train paraphernalia (primarily American but a few Märklin), buildings, and scenery items. If they don't have something you want, they will order it for you. Cons The store is cluttered and disorganized. Customer service is terrible, misogynistic and patronizing. I bought a building labeled as HO scale ($55 castle), but when I put it together and compared it to my other buildings, I noticed it was actually N scale. I took it back to the store. The first thing I was told is, "Not all HO scale buildings are the same size". The owner then walked up behind me and said,"Yup, that is N scale. I can't do anything for you, sweetheart, since you got glue all over it." I asked how was I supposed to know it was the wrong scale before I put it together. The box very clearly says "HO Scale". He told me I should have compared the doors to other Ho buildings first. When I did not agree, he told me to "calm down and breath through your nose, sweetheart". I had not raised my voice and I had not said anything rude. I just politely stuck to my guns and asked that he rectify the mistake. He asked, "What am I supposed to do, eat it?" I reminded him that the mistake was not his, but the distributor and that he should call them. He made a comment about how German's don't usually make mistakes, except for int he 1940's. I have spent hundreds of dollars in this store and he wouldn't take the slightest effort to rectify this situation until I insisted. For a small, locally owned store, they feel it is ok to alienate their few returning customers when a problem arises. Next time, I will order online and pay a few extra dollars. read more

My husband really wanted to go to Dale's and I really didn't want to drive that long of a distance, and wow am I glad I agreed to go. What an awesome place! Dale has EVERYTHING and more. And better yet he is such a nice guy. He was helpful when we had a question, showed us where things were, and left us alone when we wanted to just browse around the massive store. My husband found what he wanted plus bought a bunch of buildings that were just too cool to pass up. The prices were comparable to those online, and cheaper than eBay. Would I go back? Absolutely! Yes, I'd drive the distance, over bumpy roads, battle traffic, and risk getting stuck in the tunnel. It's that great of a store. read more

Experience was very poor, I was very disrespected by one of their sales staff upon making a purchase that turned into a heated argument with his false accusations against me where that same associate assaulted me as I will be pressing charges against the store. Completely unprofessional and by far the worst customer service I had ever experienced. Not a very friendly atmosphere. I DO NOT recommend Dale's Trains to anyone. read more

Knowledgeable staff that are friendly with an outstanding selection. I've just started model railroading and I am using n scale. They have the largest selection I've seen with thousands of rolling stock. In the other stores in the area n scale selection is little to none. read more

First time visiting the store, very happy when walked in. But then, the inside is very messy. Lots of dust on the shelf and on the floor. The store sells mostly Lionel, not a whole lot of variety brands. If you are Lionel's fan, really recommended to go here. Otherwise it's a good store to buy train stuff. The prices are fair, some are high and some are low (used models). read more

I stopped in today to pick up a specific item. I was hoping to just pop in and hop out, over two hours later I was still happily walking the aisles drooling over the massive inventory. The staff could not be nicer or more helpful and the prices were very reasonable.I will definitely stop back in the next time I am in town. read more

I love this place! It has so much to look at and no matter how many times I walked around, I saw new things with each pass! The employee who asked me if he could help me find something was so nice and I loved his expression when I told him I was not a model train enthusiast but rather a tiny terrarium hobbyist. He enthusiastically assisted me and exhibited a sincere interest in hearing about what items I was looking for even though it was not related to model trains. He explained the differences in scales, which was a major help to my shopping experience and my future internet shopping. This is a phenomenal place and the knowledge of their inventory and model train hobby as a whole is very impressive. The showroom is dated but I think that's what makes it such a unique and fun shopping experience. You just don't find this kind of knowledge and customer service very often anymore!! read more

Fantastic place. Very personable staff and A+ customer service. I would highly recommend to anyone. Mike K.

LOVE this train store! Employees and Dale were genuinely nice and very helpful. I had a HO train that wasn't running and he fixed it up really quick for me while I shopped for more train items. The lady helped me find a tunnel for my 5 year old son's train set & I grabbed more track for it. The store train sets run in the middle of the store as you walk in & you will be truly amazed to watch those G guage trains run. So exciting to watch. I will bring my son to see it next time. The prices were good...trains are expensive so to me "it is what it is". If you are a collector or a train lover or a little one that loves trains then this is the place for you to get anything you need or inspiration. They have a HUGE inventory for you to choose from. They had different brands of new and used train sets and single trains and tracks & landscape items for purchase. The inventory is quite massive. I will go here from now on vs online so I can see and hold things before buying & as Dale for help to make sure I'm purchasing the right items. Plus the repair on site is a huge plus for me. The store is a bit disorganized and cluttered with inventory, but I just told Dale what I was looking for and it was a super quick in and out for me. They seem to stay busy, which is good for a business, so I can see why the store may get cluttered with all their inventory boxes stacked. Honestly, I rather go to a cluttered store with good customer service vs a store that doesn't have what I need & just wasted my time. read more

Dropped a DCC ready HO engine off for DCC install. 7 weeks later nothing. If you call l and ask they are jerks and dismissive. Gave up and picked up train after nearly two months with no work done. One gentleman is great. The owner and rest can't be bothered to take your money. Avoid this place. read more