3D poles are completely unnecessary, for either version. Something like that would look a lot better in Trainz Railroad Simulator where detail is a big issue and the graphics are driven from computer resources and the video card. Keep in mind that making 3D poles(in other words, cylindrical objects) would create too many polygons when drawn out in Sketchup, for a program of this kind, and may alone just top the train's current poly count and lower frame rates significantly. This train is already high in quality and perfection, and even I can't ask for any more than that.
BStyles