Wow! I cant believe I missed this thread! While I never met Mr. Benson, I did buy the T1, the Rowi transformer in exchange for my postwar z transformer and finally the last loco from him, the ALCo PA-1. For his time, he did bring a "breath of fresh air" to a somewhat stale o guage market.
It was a shame that he let his guard down on the FT fiasco that ultimately cost him the R.O.W.I. business. I will remember him for the innovative products that he did bring to market and are still running today!