"travelling by rail (some how) to Southwark"

No - as PatrickLondon explained on that other old thread - you probably won't take the train. You'll most likely use the tube.

If you simply want an inexpensive return train ticket that you don't plan on using except to get the 2for1 discounts you can buy any old RT ticket like say Waterloo East to Hampton Court for around £10.

But you could also just buy a 7 day, zone 1&2 travel card at Waterloo and use it instead of an Oyster to travel around London. Even though you are only there 5 days, a 7 day card would probably be cheaper than 5 days of pay-as-you-goon an Oyster (depending on how much touring you do)

oops That should say >>pay-as-you-go on an Oyster<<

Agreed, take the tube to your hotel...will cost about £4 each. Then go into Waterloo station and buy a 7 day national rail paper travel card from the train station that you will use for 2for1 deals.

Thanks! Will a ticket from Waterloo east to Marylebone cover it instead? As we could go to Madam Tussauds on the first day and buy extra return tickets never to be used. Its just confusing knowing which train stations are in this deal. I would hate to get to M. Tuss and they say you departed from the correct station for the deal but arrived at a station not included!

You seem to be confused about trains vs. the tube. You won't take a 'train' from Waterloo to Marylebone. You would take the tube.

'Train' (for the 2for1's) means mainline trains. choo choo's

Your travel for sightseeing in London will be on the tube (Underground- not mainline 'trains') and sometimes buses.

You need to buy a paper travelcard at a Train station. But then you can use it to travel around on the tube and get the 2for1's.

Agree with janisj. Why would you want to get a ticket from marylebone from Waterloo anyways. Just get a 7 day paper travel card and forget all the additional tickets. It's not complicated!

You buy these paper travel cards at mainline national rail stations. The national rail system is an overground train system and the tube network is Londons subway system. The paper tickets you buy at national rail stations are good on the tube and bus networks as well as the national rail trains.

Waterloo station is both a national rail station (upstairs/ground level) and a tube station (downstairs). You need to buy you paper ticket at the grround floor ticket hall at the national rail ticket booths. The ticket will be orange and have the national rail symbol - seen here www.nationalrail.com

Ok thanks. Dont scream jamikins (or swear with frustration under your breathe haha) but I am still a little confused about that sentence. "Just get a 7 day paper travel card and forget all the additional tickets" I am planning on using a hop on hop off bus for most of this so I thought I had to buy at least one return train ticket to get the 2 4 1's? Are you saying I can get 2 4 1's without buying a single train ticket ever but just buying the 7 day travelcard?

OMG!!! Just read something else so fully understand now. Dont worry about posting back. Am not sure where I got the idea from that I needed these bloody train tickets if I already had a 7 day travelcard!!
Thanks (Yes I am blonde by the way)!

Where on earth did you get the sense that I was screaming? I was trying to make it as clear as possible! I think if you review my posts on this website that you will find my responses informative and some of the most patient around.

>> (Yes I am blonde by the way)!<<

Don't do yourself down. A lot of people get discombobulated about this, because basically they're trying to game a system which has been set up for an entirely different purpose (encouraging regular commuters on the suburban rail lines to get someone else to buy a ticket to travel with them on their days off, i.e., outside commuter rush hours).

And unless you really want whatever sort of commentary the hop-on hop-off buses provide, you'd probably be better off just using your travelcard on the regular buses - check out the central area bus map at:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/15101.aspx

jamikins - I didn't think you were screaming but I just know how frustrating it can be when someone is sooooo confused.
Thanks for the map Patrick. We were only taking the hop on buses as I thought it might make the day a little easier on my toddler. But I might just use the tubes now.

To be honest the regular buses will probably be the easiest with a toddler! The HOHO buses are crammed with tourists, have the best seats on top and are very expensive compared to the fantastic bus service in London which is covered by your paper travel cards. The regular bus service covers way more area and is much more frequent and available longer hours. The signage is really easy to figure out at the stations and the stops are announced so you don't have to guess where you get off. Here is the site to map out the buses http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/gettingaround/maps/buses/

You'll probably find the regular buses easier with a toddler than the tube, which can get very crowded in narrow spaces, and has a lot of steps and corridors. But with travelcards that's something you can play by ear.

Second what jamikins said about regular buses.
I found them often surprisingly empty (or not so surprisingly if you consider the slow speed, but same with HOHO buses which also can't go any faster).
Check out the visitor guide which PatrickLondon posted:
Lines like RV1 are like a tourist/museum line that covers many sights from Covent Garden, the Eye, Tate Modern to the Tower.
The regular buses are also a cheap way to get a bit away from the major tourist sights and catch a glimpse of those parts the HOHOs skip.

If the weather's conducive to your toddler running around in the open air, you might be interested in:
http://www.coramsfields.org/

You might find this of use for kids activities in London

http://www.londontown.com/attractions/SearchResults/?searchType=categoryBest&categories[]=The%20Best&categories[]=Activities%20for%20Kids