Pickups for Bowser, Mantua, John English,&Varney steam locos

[twilight]

Was wondering how some of you guys did your pickups on some of your older steam locos(Bowser, Pennline, Varney, Mantua)? Right now I am relying on the steam locomotive frame and the tender frame. Both picking up the decoder signal through the driver wheels and tender wheels(opposite rails of course). I affixed a pickup wire from the decoder to the tender frame and I am relying on the signal coming through the tender wheels to the screw that holds the tender trucks on. Sort of the same under the boiler, I have a decoder wire screwed to the frame of the loco. The decoder is living in the tender right now. Though I can't say I am have a true problem with this, I am not sure it is the best way to do it. So I am looking for other alternatives, such as wipers or something else I haven't thought of yet. Thanks for your input.


Mark