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1 gauge survives today as it is used by the modern G scale, a popular standard for outdoor model railroads.

Although initially popular in the United States, 1 gauge lost popularity due to World War I, which dramatically decreased foreign imports, allowing the U.S. wide gauge standard to gain traction. After the war, most surviving U.S. manufacturers switched to wide gauge.

Although vintage 1 gauge trains use the same track standard as modern G scale, scale modeling was not a primary design consideration in 1 gauge's heyday, so the actual size and scale of the locomotives and cars varied. Generally, 1 gauge equipment worked out to approximately 1:32 scale. 1:32 is the scale where the gauge 1 track represents standard gauge track. G scale at 1:22.5 scale means the gauge 1 track represents 1m narrow gauge track. 1m gauge railways are still to be found in Switzerland, the inspiration source for many commercial G gauge models.

By comparison, 1 gauge's 1:32 scale makes it nearly three times the dimensions (about 20 times the overall size) of modern HO scale, the most popular size of today.