Few would argue that Ted Benson is a great writer and photographer. His contributions to Trains over the years have been among our readers’ favorites.
But did readers of our February 1977 issue realize Benson might also be prophetic? In “Andover Afterward,” he wrote of Southern Pacific 4449 returning to mainline rails after a 16-year absence, but also tied in a typical freight train of the day. He appreciated how far railroading had come as an industry and a hobby in the then-35 years since Trains began publication.
And he wondered in print what might appear in Trains’ 70th anniversary issue.
Here we are at that very issue, and Benson — again — looks backward and forward at trains as an industry, hobby, and magazine. In 1977, railroads paused between two of the most radical changes to the the industry and hobby: dieselization and deregulation. Yet, in this time of uncertainty and change, he found stability.
“On June 23, 1975, the only tie with 1940 is the 4449. Thirty-five years from now who’ll remember the tramp of the seven SD’s and their 100-plus cars?” he wrote.
In that climate, no one could have known the 4449 would become a legendary locomotive in its own right. Or that the intermodal freight that train was hauling would become such a high-priority and profitable traffic segment. Unless maybe Benson knew?
Thirty-five years later, we’re still writing about SP 4449, and about the constant battle of man and machine over distance and elevation. And still publishing Benson’s seemingly prophetic prose.
As for who and what will appear in Trains’ 100th anniversary issue, I wouldn’t count Benson out, either.
For now, please enjoy this PDF of “Andover Afterward,” free to subscribers. See our 70th anniversary issue, Trains November 2010 for Benson’s “Half a Lifetime and Counting.”
