Upgrading the electrical pick-up assembly

Last weekend, among the birds, I received the ordered Merkur third rail pick-ups for coaches (9885). So, I had to place one of them on the coach with lightening.

So, I removed the assembly with the temporary third rail pick-up and swapped it for the nicely sprung Merkur pick-up. I was a bit worried that this black painted metal would be difficult to solder a contact on, but a bit of sanding and solder flux worked great.
This time I managed to pay attention and let the wires run under the axle. The pick-up is now positioned directly over the axle, but the clearance is sufficient to prevent any shorts from occuring. This assembly is much better and the coach also rides the rails smoothly again.

There are also three new additions, a Lionel 654 tank car which is complete and perfect. a Lionel 655 box car which is missing a door and brake wheels and a Lionel 1682 caboose.