I was really looking forward to visiting East Side Trains because my son loves trains. His birthday is coming up, and I wanted to see which items grabbed his attention so I could plan something special. Unfortunately, the experience was extremely disappointing. From the moment we walked in, the staff completely ignored us. No greeting, no acknowledgment, not even a glance. I watched them welcome and gladly assist every older white couple who came in, but we were treated like we did not belong there. It felt uncomfortable and honestly a little shocking. This is something my son and I truly enjoy together, and I spend thousands of dollars each year on Lionel VisionLine and MTH Premier Line pieces along with other premium train collectibles. I came in ready to support this store, but after the way we were treated, I will not be spending a single dollar here again. No one offered help the entire time we were looking around, and the only interaction we had was at checkout. I am sharing this because people should know what kind of experience they might have here. For me, it was unwelcoming and disappointing, and I will be taking my business to places that treat every customer with respect. read more

Friendly, knowledgeable people.Great selection of trains and related items. My grandson (and his dad and grandpas) had a great time shopping here. read more

Eastside has a great collection of larger scale equipment. I was impressed by the cases of N Scale coming through the door. I would have liked to see more scratch building equipment and detail parts. This store is great if you want to buy some locomotives or rolling stock, but lacks if you are into modeling. read more

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Clean and neat store but the downside is I did almost get attacked by their unleashed dog which I'm not cool with. It came zooming up and circling my ankles aggressively making me worried I might accidentally step on his paw so I had to stay frozen until the owner came to take it away. I'm normally fine with dogs but not this one, and that just made me want to leave the store immediately after only looking around at two shelves. Will just buy online, will not be back. read more

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Nice to have a local train store with knowledgeable staff. They have always been helpful and friendly to my young son who loves Lionel.

This place is an amazing gem to give your kids or yourself a hobby for the rest of their lives. My first train came from now closed university hobby which kept me involved for years until I bought my youngest an MTH NY central set from Eastside, needless to say 30 years later he has a huge collection in is an amazing repair and upgrade specialist that works at Eastside on occasion now. read more

They were so helpful and knowledgeable. So happy to have gone to kirkland for our purchase

I have visited this shop several times in the last couple of years. The repair area staff has consistently been great. They know their business and are customer oriented. The shop is neat and orderly. The men that work the sales area, might know trains well, but their customer service is very lacking, hit and miss at best. They can come across as arrogant and condescending in their delivery. I have been a customer on weekdays, weekends and holidays, they NEVER have any of the in shop trains running. The atmosphere can be rather gloomy and uninviting. It often looks like they are just waiting for the last customer to leave so that they can turn out the lights. read more

The prices are good and they have a large store with a good selection of inventory. The gentleman working there was very knowledgeable, but very salty. It's 100% self-service unless you ask a question, in which case you will only get an answer with no suggestions. The train store would be fantastic with true sales associations. I would also recommend running the train layouts. read more

Went there on a Friday morning. A lot of staff standing around talking with each other. The conversation while it was not X rated was at a level I consider unprofessional for a retail store with customers in the building, talking about bodily functions. We also overheard the same staff commenting about wanting to "find a sucker" to buy a certain train they had in stock, not the most confidence inspiring statement to hear nor something that would encourage me to spend my money there. We left at that point. This is a nice store with a great selection of O gauge but limited HO and no used HO but they did not inspire me to go back. We then went to the Electric Train store in Burien and spent money on some pristine used German HO trains at a reasonable cost and had a decent chat with the owner too. Retailers need to take care when talking internally and not openly discuss things that can negatively harm their business and the customers experience. read more

Haven't done service or repair in years, never run their display trains, took down their Thomas table. Haven't replenished g scale stock in a LONG time. Just waiting for their going out of business sale. read more

They're playing to the stereotype of model trains being the domain of grumpy old men... I walked in just now with an iced coffee in my hand, looking forward to spending some money on the hobby. The older man behind the counter comes out as soon as I enter and all he says is "You can leave your coffee on the counter by the door" and points. No welcome, no "Hi!", no smile. He could have said something like "Good afternoon! We'd appreciate it if you would leave your drink by the door, please." I would have gladly, but I walked out instead due to the crappy attitude. They won't last long as this hobby, and their customer base, ages... read more

Eastside Trains is an iconic model train store, probably one of best train stores on the West Coast. They have every gauge (size) of model trains and represent most manufacturers. The store is not a budget children's store of toys. The items sold at Eastside Trains are "mostly" for serious train modelers. Today's model trains are sooooo realistic in sound, performance, and appearance that if videoed it's difficult to determine if it's a model or the real thing. Eastside Trains has that caliber of model trains. In summary Eastside Trains has high end model trains, an outstanding service center, and a very large selection of all the model train parts and pieces to build a complete model train layout. read more

Eastside Trains - Spokane Portland & Seattle RR in O Scale. - Toy Stores Near Me - Kirkland, Washington

The top model train store in the northwest. Great selection and knowledgeable, friendly staff. Always visit there when I travel to Seattle!

Great shop and wonderfully knowledgeable helpers to show you the ropes, er, tracks? We like the operating trains. The trains for sale are also shown out of their boxes. read more

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How do you keep seven-year-olds occupied during a cloudy Seattle afternoon you them the train store. The stores been run by a bunch of cool old dudes and they have an amazing train setup; two huge layouts three floors it's like paradise for kids what's the difference at slots are different sizes read more

First time visiting this store. Friendly staff, very knowledgeable work bench folks. I needed some DCC questions answered and a small TSC plug and they delivered. I was hoping to buy some rolling stock as well, but there wasn't much to choose from. The shop seems mostly geared towards larger scales with a very small area for HO (probably 1/10 of the store at most). What stock they had was pretty much cleaned out with the exception of old timer cars and misc box cars. If you are an HO scale modeler, look elsewhere. Electric Train Shop in Burien seems to have a good amount of rotating (if not older) HO stock and, of course, WhistleStop in Portland has a large HO selection. read more

These guys are great! I've been coming here for nearly ten years and the folks who own the store are very knowledgeable and always helpful & friendly. They focus on Lionel and to a lesser extent HO and N. But don't worry! They have some of the largest stock of scenery, villages, rolling stock, etc. available for these trains then any other store I've seen in the US. Just go already, you won't be disappointed! Nice folk! WOW! read more

Eastside Trains is a great local business in Kirkland. I went here to see if they were interested in purchasing old Lionel train sets. Although they were not interested, they took the time to explain what the items I had were, what the value was and where I likely could get the best value for the items I had. The staff was friendly, knowledgeable and trustworthy. It is clear that they have the best interest of the client in hand here. read more

Trains. All kinds. Deeply knowledgeable staff. I buy all my Lionel O-Gauge locomotives, rolling stock, and accessories here. read more

Lovely train store with a ton of character and friendly staff. It's been well-stocked ever since I was a kid in the nineties, and it's still the go to place for my friends and family. I hope Eastside Trains remains a staple of downtown Kirkland for a long time and I always look forward to returning to this store. read more

I have to say this place is incredible!! Bring your kids in and have a blast from the past picking out a train set. They have everything you can imagine that goes with building your layout. Buildings ,figures,scenery,glues,books,signs. They have all gauge trains from Z,N,HO,O, and G gauge. Lionel, Mth, Atlas, Bachman, Kato and American Flyer. If you like trains you won't find a bigger selection or more knowledgable staff anywhere on the West coast. They even do train repairs of all scales. read more

As you drive up you see a building that looks like an old-fashioned train depot... how cool is that! The parking situation is a little tricky since they don't have many spaces in their lot. We started visiting here when my father-in-law was in town and wanting to buy my son his first train set, it's kind of a family tradition. After going there a few times, we were hooked on it especially since my kid started getting into the wooden Thomas The Train sets too. They have such an incredible selection, they pretty much have anything you could ever want or need. A great thing they offer is an Eastside Trains Thomas Club Member card which will get you 25% off of all Thomas purchases. Every time we've been there the staff has been incredibly helpful and know everything there is to know about trains. If you have an appreciation for trains, you must go to this place and see for yourself! read more

Really big selection, cool stuff. I felt super awkward in here though. This guy at the counter accosted me with "uh you're looking for TRAINS?? We don't sell Barbie dolls here you know!" right when I walked in. I'm a girl but I work for the railroad and love/collect trains. Would have loved to have been left at peace to shop, but the guy continued to make me feel out of place, so I left. Not the end of the world, but it was a bummer because I really wanted to buy new stuff. read more

Great selection and knowledgeable staff but that's where it stops. I have 2 boys 2,4 and would love for them to be interested in the hobby. But the staff there are more interested in keeping finger prints off the glass than keeping the hobby going. We showed up today at 5:07. Door was unlocked and we went in, and were greeted with a guy saying "we're closed we're closed" even though their website said open till 530. But that's the experience we've always seen, never happy about people coming in the store. The trains inside have been turned off every time we've visited in the last 2 years. And the staff always just seem irritated that we are there. It really feels like a old dying church, more interested in preservation and traditions than helping people have fun with a great hobby. Whenever we come here I leave disappointed by the experience. As much as I would love to support a local business, it looks like we will be buying our next trains online. :( read more

Ive known these guys for 18 years since i was 5 years old, ive bought tons of things at Eastside Trains and everytime its a great experience, ive never had problems with any product or train brand, alot of things are pricey but if youve been in the hobby long enough you know its normal. Great pdople, great service, awsome options. read more

One of the last train stores around. been there years ago and it seemed they were ok. Kirkland is a bit far, and I would suggest Galaxy hobby in Lynnwood or even Broadway hobby in Everett. Both have ample train stuff and i have seen hard core train people there. Eastside seems to be more for the entry level customer but not sure about their customer service after reading reviews. I myself had no issues that i can remember. read more

The best train store on the west coast -I've been a customer for years Extensive selection Excellent repair facility Sooner or later you need a repair or service - this is the place read more

Eastside Trains is a gem to Seattle. This is one of those small family run businesses that you should support. I have been a customer for 15 years and appreciate them and their service. The customer service is first rate and their prices are good. The management and the store is super friendly and at times feels like family. This is a solid place to support and be thnakful that it exists. Don't take Eastside for granted. Try them and you will be as delighted as I am. read more

I'm shocked nobody has rated this store yet. First off, this store is amazing. I had to shut my eyes, there was just so much great stuff to see. This being my first visit to a train store, I was very impressed. I arrived with an older Lionel engine that wasn't working, they diagnosed the problem, and the tech talked me through how I could fix it myself. So I bought some oil and grease, and with an arsenal of rubbing alcohol and q-tips, I WAS able to fix my train myself. He could've easily taken me for a bunch of money, and a couple days wait, but instead he turned me on to the inner-workings of the train, and made me a hobbyist. I'm a HUGE fan. read more

G scale enthusiast. They have a good selection for me. Prices are fair. I do most of my purchasing on eBay and the prices are comparable. They seem to have a large staff but I've never talked to them. Great place to bring kids as their layouts are sweet and they have a kids set to play with. If they have the staff they will run the trains for you if you ask. I seen it! I purchased a gscale beer freight that I'm happy with. I mainly use the place to price gauge and dream. read more

Great place to go for all kinds of train supplies. I have O scale, and they have plenty of selection between Lionel and MTH. Haven't asked too many questions from behind the counter, but they always seem friendly to me. As far as the repair department; got nothing but praise. I have more than a few "post war" rolling stock and they always seem to have just the part I'm looking for on 60 plus year old cars. Only thing I could say in the negative, is the price's on rolling stock can get to be a bit steep, but O gauge Fastrack is cheaper here than on Amazon. Also, they have a great selection of boxed ready to run train sets, and they all seem cheaper than most on-line places. read more

Will never go back due to rude and unhelpful employees. One just might be the owner. My boys love trains and this hobby is way too expensive to deal with rude and condescending people. Our layout is going to be epic but not anything from this place. Thanks Amazon and YouTube for great prices and layout information. I have also seen employees be mean and disrespectful to each other in front of customers. read more

Eastside Trains is the best. The employees are knowledgable and friendly. They also have a wide selection of Thomas the Train toys that my 3 year old son adores. Thanks for the great service! read more

Very nice store. It's a good thing that they have their own parking. Normally, it sucks to find parking in this part of town. Absolutely amazing store for the model railroad nut. Everything from N scale to those moster trains. Went in to get some additional HO scale track for my youngest's new train. Almost too much of a selection. The staff were all extremely helpful and made many suggestions without being pushy. I'll certainly be back. read more

We have been in here 3 times and each time has been a poor experience. I haven't felt inclined to write a review because it's not really worth my time. But today's experience was a bit much!! We have two small children who are very well behaved and LOVE trains. They love to see their train sets running. What kid and adult doesn't? We have asked every time to have them run their larger train set, which is very elaborate and impressive and apparently it needs to be run by a remote so an employee has to man it at all times to run it. They are always "too busy" to run it. I understand they are busy with their customers but we will wait patiently. Of course, when there is a lull with their other customers they are still NOT inclined to run the train. It's very disappointing. I even watched one of the employees be very rude to a father and son who wanted to buy a train car in their case. The employer acted like he was being inconvenienced. The employees are more concerned with non customers parking in their parking lot than helping their actual customers. We won't be back. Too many other great places with good customer service to spend our time and money. read more

This is a very good and very interesting business that just impresses me every time I enter the store. They have a very impressive and large inventory and a very good repair staff and facility. This is a walk-in retail business and a very rare one indeed. I am not sure if the locals fully understand what a treasure they have with this business located in downtown Kirkland when so much of the area is bars and cheap knick-knack or trinket shops or over priced clothing stores. This business could have a major Internet presence - if they wanted - where the inventory and repair capabilities help the owner significantly grow his business. But, I think the owner is more hobbyist than accountant and that's okay too because the store might lose some of their unique charm if they established a presence in the Internet. But, this is a good business and some of my out of town house guests just love the place because they have nothing like it in their home towns. And, the staff is very helpful and quite knowledgeable. read more

I moved here from the East Coast 2 years ago. This is my 60th year in the hobby as a child, parent and now grandparent. I have been in probably probably 50 train stores in the NE. I had a favorite for repair service, a favorite for new item purchases, a favorite for old item purchases and a favorite for internet purchases. Eastside trains is by far the best overall. The repair service is the . They do it themselves. Most other shops send it to a cadre of folks that work in their own basements and the quality of the repairs is a lottery. The retail store for new and old item shopping is the best I have seen. If you want to save a few bucks and shop on the internet that is fine. There are some items I do that for, e.g., landscaping supplies or something like a case of plaster cloth. I don't do that very often, as there is an advantage to seeing it and Eastside trains does such a great job I don't like to "cherry pick them". If we don't support people who provide such a great experience for the hobbits, we won't have them. read more

After reading the review by Redmond S, I was left scratching my head. This person's experience there was so alien to my own experience with East Side Trains, I couldn't believe we've patronized the same store. I began going to EST when North End Trains in Lake City (along with American Eagles Hobbies) was forced out of its building. Another Seattle shop (unnamed) continually mislaid or failed to place my special orders, so it ultimately lost my business. I found that EST was a shorter commute from Seattle than even Lake City, and since I started going there, EST's track record for securing my special order items has been stellar - and their ordering procedure isn't all that different from North End's, meaning about a 2 week turnaround if the item is in stock at the jobber. As an earlier writer said, the store's emphasis is tilted towards Lionel and HO. That's understandable because HO is by far the most popular scale, and Lionel has always been such a great childhood introduction to the hobby. It's a kid-friendly place and that's important to the future of any hobby. Still, their staff are conversant in all the popular model railroad scales on a hobbyist level. They are also not ignorant of "real" railroads and enjoy "talking shop" when they can. Their installations (decoders, etc.) are competently done and their prices are in line with other stores. I tend to deal with the one salesperson whose specialty is N scale, but I can't think of anyone else there who hasn't been super friendly to me and willing to "jump in" to help if necessary. I'm more than pleased I found this place! read more

I brought my 2 year old son in to select a couple wooden Thomas trains as a special treat. An employee's rude comment suggesting that I should get him 'real' trains rubbed me the wrong way. Thankfully, my child is too young to understand how snide that remark was and he enjoyed the visit. They won't get anymore business from me. read more