pulling grades with helpers

[SierraNorthern]

Hi
My layout has a 4% grade with 18" radius curves (yes I know the comments will come that such steep grades and sharp curves are a cardinal sin). However, my spectrum shay, regeared MDC climax and diesels pull  short trains up the curved grade just fine.
I would like to get some rod steam engines and am considering purchasing Spectrum's 4-6-0 (low boiler) and 4-4-0.  I know these engines will not have a chance at pulling a short train (~2-4 cars) up a 4% grade by themselves.  Do they have a chance if they are consisted in DCC and used together to pull up a short train or will the dirvers slip anyway?
Thanks

[SteamGene]

First of all, with steam, you are adding "helpers."  As long as they are powered, helpers will help. 
Gene

[Frankford el car]

Not if you're modeling heavy rapid transit (subway-elevated trains, trolleys), those grades aren't a cardinal sin. And neither are the 18" radius curves. In fact, I'm using 15" radius, with Proto 1000 subway trains. Which raises a question for me. Can I retro fit Bachmann DCC decoders to these cars? And if so, can they run on the same trackage, with non-DCC-equipted subway trains that I have?

[SteamGene]

Current feeling is that it is not a good idea to have a layout that is both DCC and DC.  If you do, make sure that DCC and DC locomotives are always separated by a dead block.  That is to say, if block one is DC and block three is DCC, block two should be off.  As  the train on block three reaches block four, turn off block three and turn block two to DC, then turn block one off.   
Gene

[Jim Banner]

First of all, with steam, you are adding "helpers."

And with DCC, you consist them together if you want them to run together.  Running them as "helpers" implies one operator per locomotive, which is a fun way of operating and requires a great deal of skill.

[Frankford el car]

Nice thing about rapid transit. Almost every car in the train is powered, so with a 4, 6, or 8-car train, every unit on one throttle, is a "helper". So is it practical to link three DCC-equipted units (in this case, motored cars in a subway train) together on one address?

[Jim Banner]

So is it practical to link three DCC-equipted units (in this case, motored cars in a subway train) together on one address?

Yes.  This can be done 3 ways:
- using Basic consisting, which is simply programming all the decoders to the same address.  This works with all decoders and all command stations.
- using Decoder Assissted consisting, which is setting a special consisting address in each decoder to the same consisting address.  Not all decoders have this feature.
- using Command station based consisting, which causes the command station to send the same information to all the decoder addresses within the consist.  Not all command stations support this type of consisting.