Bachmann On30 0-4-2 Porter on 8% Grade?

Yeah... it can do it.  With no cars it can do it fine with just a slight bit of slip.  With one car there's noticeable slip.  With two cars it barely makes it.  And with three cars it stalls half way up.

I know this because I have an 8% grade on my micro layout (around a 7" radius curve no less).

This evening I anxiously picked up my package from theFavoriteSpot which contained a 3-pack of Bachmann's Wood Side dump cars.  As with most of the On30 Spectrum line, these are cooler in person than they look in pictures.  The cars are mostly cast metal, have real chains, and actually dump side to side.  I think with a few passes over with Bragdon Ent's weathering powders they will look amazing.

Back to the micro -- The porter can't pull 3 up the grade.  So here's what I have to decide:  Do I rip up the grade and most of the 2nd level and make it 4% so 3 cars can be pulled up -OR- do I say "operational interest!" and simply make it a rule that on this particular small railroad the grade is so steep that cars must be taken up 1 at a time?  I'm leaning towards the latter.  It's amusing to drop cars as the bottom then go back to pickup more.

And with that, here's some layout pictures...

I used Woodland Scenics foam risers.  Waaaaay recommend these things.  You get 4 per pack for $5.

I then put a layer of cardstock over the risers, soaked in glue.  It dried reasonably hard.

Layed out something what the top industry area will look like.

Engineer stands by 2 wood side dump cars next to a cab-less Porter.