470's to Alaska - Fact or Fiction?

It has appeared more than once on this board that the seven 470's that went to Alaska in 1942 for the war effort were requisioned by the War Department (or the Army). The Rio Grande had no say in the matter, and it isn't known for sure if the company even had any say as to which seven locomotives would be taken over. This has been reported several times as truth.

Bob Richardson has a different story, and if there is anyone in the narrow-gauge empire who is more aware of the events that transpired on the Rio Grande back then, I'd like to meet that person. In his book "Rio Grande - Chasing the Narrow Gauge Vol. II" Bob states that this whole concept is untrue. On p. 77, Bob writes,

"But after some highly placed people, including a local judge, went to Washington to seek to save their rail transportation, the full truth didn't meet the headlines. The railroad management had been caught in a huge fib. The truth was that the U.S. Army needed some engines for its takeover of the White Pass and Yukon Railway in Alaska, but it had not asked for or indeed needed all the D&RGW's engines. The truth was that the railroad was trying to get the Army to take more than it wanted, so that the D&RGW could shut down its narrow gauge operations."

Bob goes on to state that the Army wasn't prepared to do any major shoppings on the locomotives so the seven best of the class were chosen, run through the shop, and barged north.

He has a lot more to say about the narrow gauge equipment that went north but you'll have to get a copy of the book to read it for yourself.

George