CAROL’S CRACKING TIPS

it heLPs to fill in an X in every cell where there can’t be a piece of track. For instance, when there’s a 1 at the top of a column and you have one piece of track in place, mark Xs in every cell above and below it. remember: this puzzle isn’t about plotting the shortest route. the track can zig-zag. this means that even if one row is marked with an 8 (so that there’s a piece of track in every cell), it doesn’t have to run in a straight line — the railway can twist out of the row and then twist back in at the next cell. Next, this might seem obvious, but it’s important: a straight piece of track, running horizontally, uses up just one cell in the vertical column. if it curves up or down, the track is going to need at least two cells. that means wherever you see a column or a row with just one piece of track permitted, it has to be straight, not curved.