Gauge one was standardised, according to Model Railways and Locomotive magazine of August 1909, at 1.75 in (44.45 mm).

Initially as popular in the United States as in the UK, 1 gauge lost popularity in the U.S. due to World War I, which dramatically decreased foreign imports, allowing the U.S. wide gauge standard to gain traction.

This was helped by 1 gauge being the same size as the modern G scale, a popular standard for outdoor model railways.

Generally, 1 gauge equipment works out to approximately 1:32 scale (roughly 10 mm = 1 foot).

Such railways are to be found in, among other places, Switzerland, the inspiration source for many commercial G gauge models.

In the late 1960s, Märklin re-entered the large scale market with a modest range of 1 gauge trains.

This range continued in production for a number of years, but was gradually replaced with more accurate locomotives and larger cars.

As the Maxi line matured, the toylike shiny appearance gradually gave way to matte finishes.

[5] This is the scale and gauge that was used for the model locomotives and rolling stock in series 1 to 12 of Thomas & Friends before switching to CGI animation.