While it may seem impossible to justify the use of such cheesey looking props in this series, Larry Jensen in his book "The Movie Railroads" has offered up the following defense:
....."While flawless accuracy and 100% authentic equipment would satisfy purists, it sometimes borders on the impossible. Film directors are given a script and a budget and it's their job to take the two and make the best picture they can. A director casts a train the same way he does an actor, by "auditioning" the possibilities and selecting the one that best suits the needs of the script. The final selection is based on factors like budget, scenery, and relationship of the railroad location to the film's other location sites. He is also severely limited by the railroad equipment that's available."......."The bottom line is that Hollywood makes films for entertainment, and that's the way they should be viewed."