Maker record
Lone Star
Lone Star was the toy brand of British die-casting company Die Cast Machine Tools (DCMT). Its range included die-cast cap guns and vehicles, toy trains, and plastic figures. The company began with die-casting machinery and first made cast metal toys for Crescent before producing toys under its own brand. Lone Star trains included small 000-scale models and motorised Treble-O-Lectric sets; its car lines included Impy and Flyers. Factories operated at Palmers Green and Hatfield.
- Founded
- 1951
- Final year
- 1988
- Countries
- England
- Locations
- Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England
- Founders
- Aubrey Robert Mills
The story of Lone Star
Die Cast Machine Tools (DCMT) began as a maker of die-casting machinery and equipment shortly before the Second World War. It later produced cast metal toys for Crescent, then began making toys in its own right under the Lone Star name. The brand became closely associated with Wild West playthings, including die-cast cap guns, and was subsequently used across other toy lines.
Lone Star broadened its range to include model railways, cars and plastic figures. Its late-1950s Lone Star Locos were small 000-scale die-cast trains with clip-together track. In the 1960s, Treble-O-Lectric offered motorised trains on 9 mm gauge track. The car ranges included Impy, followed by Lone Star Flyers, which used low-friction axles. The company also sold larger figures and playsets, including a D-Day set. DCMT operated factories at Palmers Green and Hatfield. It entered receivership in 1983.