Manufacturers
Accucraft Trains in California, The Gauge One Model Railway Company in Britain, and Aster Hobbies Ltd in Japan produce gauge 1 items, mostly coal and meths fired.
Wrightway Rolling Stock produce a range of quality coaches for British outline Gauge 1 railways and a range of cars for North American and European outline railways. They can supply from their range or custom build. Some of the range is available in 10mm scale.
Märklin, in Germany, has produced several different lines of trains that can be considered 1 Gauge. First production took place in the late 1800s, with a line of "tinplate" type trains. This line was discontinued in favor of their more popular 0-Gauge trains. In the late 1960s, Märklin reentered the large scale market with a modest range of 1 Gauge trains. Based upon one drive mechanism made of metal, Märklin produced both a German Class 80 0-6-0T steam locomotive in two different liveries and a 0-Co-0 diesel based upon a Henschel design. This early range included two axle passenger cars, two axle box cars and tank cars, all made of plastic. The tank cars could hold liquids and the box car and passenger car had operating doors. This range continued in production for a number of years, but was gradually replaced with more accurate locomotives and larger cars. The range expanded to include a Class 38 4-6-0, a Class 78 4-6-4T and a Class 212 Bo-Bo diesel. In the late 1980s the Märklin 1 Gauge line included a large number of freight car designs in different liveries and a range of three axle passenger cars. The earlier passenger cars and box cars were retained, while the tank cars were discontinued.
In the early 2000s, Märklin added a second line of Gauge 1 trains under the brand name "Maxi". These trains were made of stamped metal and were more toylike in appearance in comparison to their scale version of 1 Gauge trains. The Maxi line was intended to compete against the more popular LGB product line, which also operates on 45mm gauged track, but is scaled to IIm standards. As the Maxi line matured, the toylike shiny appearance gradually gave way to matte finishes. This was in response to European market requests, while the toylike appearance was considered to be more popular in the North American market. In later years, the Maxi product line was gradually folded into the conventional Märklin 1 Gauge product line, with the mark "Maxi" disappearing around 2008. One of the last locomotives marketed under the "Maxi" brand was a Class V60, which had a stamped metal frame and cast metal superstructure. This locomotive is considered to be the end of the Maxi line. The 1 Gauge product line continues in production, super-detailed and more expensive than the Maxi line.
There are many producers of gauge 1 items in the USA and the UK; see the Gauge 1 model railway association website listed below under "External links".
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