Found this excellent website devoted to the 714th Operating Battallion of the U.S. Army Transportation Corps in WWII. Webmaster is Carl Freshour, who was a member. Freshour was assigned to the Alaska RR. Lots of good photos of operations, personnel and locomotives. Temperatures often dipped below -40. A little better than the -20 we had here two nights ago...

http://www.alaskarails.org/historical/Freshour/
ryarger@rypn.org