All Aboard to Waterloo! Trivia Quiz

Bournemouth is one of the four typical origin points for long-distance services destined for London Waterloo (you know you want to say it - no, sing it - like ABBA) via the South West Main Line. Other services to Waterloo begin at Southampton Central as well as the Dorset towns of Poole and Weymouth. Bournemouth (with its Hampshire v Dorset identity crisis) surged in popularity when the railways came to town in the 1870s, becoming a renowned coastal destination for those wishing to escape their everyday urban lives in London and Birmingham.

Sandwiched between Bournemouth and Southampton is Brockenhurst, a gateway to the New Forest. A not insignificant percentage of passengers use Brockenhurst railway station as an interchange between the mainline and the branch line to the quaint port town of Lymington, home to Lymington Town and Lymington Pier stations. From the pier, you can catch a ferry to Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight.

Southampton (Titanic and footballer Matt le Tissier) is served by a few local line stations but at the heart of the city's railway network is Southampton Central. Southampton Central is also a major hub for travel across the south coast of England, forming a node at which the South West Main Line to London meets the Wessex Main Line (for scenic journeys to Salisbury, Bath and Bristol) and West Coastway Line (straddling the coast to Brighton).

Southampton Airport Parkway is of course a convenient station to use for Southampton Airport, which is just a short walk away (compare and contrast with the distance from railway station to airport entrance at Inverness); the station does however serve a second main function which is as a "parkway" for motorists to park up their car and continue their journey by rail into cities such as Southampton, Portsmouth and London.

Winchester is a cathedral city, the county town of Hampshire and an historic capital of England. The River Itchen flows through this small city in the south of England that was once a seat of power for Alfred the Great, King of the Anglo-Saxons (886-899).

Nearly a thousand years later, the railway arrived at Winchester and the network surrounding it was more extensive than is currently the case. There previously existed a railway line between Winchester and Alton via Alresford; this line survived the Beeching Axe of 1963 but closed ten years later, a reminder that rail closures were an ongoing affair throughout the 60s and 70s. Not all is lost however, as the heritage sector has preserved the Watercress Line from Alresford to Alton - a great day out for all the family.

Basingstoke (or as it is affectionately and not-so-affectionately nicknamed, "Amazingstoke") is a town in Hampshire. Basingstoke railway station, first opened in 1839, is something of an architectural hybrid; on the one hand you have classy red brick Victorian buildings and a splendid clock tower whilst on the other you have a soulless metal and glass construction (no judgements here). It would perhaps be best to stop well short of calling it the Louvre of north Hampshire.

Change at Basingstoke for Andover, Salisbury, Exeter, Reading, the Midlands and the North.

Farnborough (Main) is one of three stations in this northeast Hampshire town famous for its biennial airshow, the other two being Farnborough North and North Camp. Farnborough (Main) is on the South West Main Line and is the station of choice for travel into London, whilst the two smaller stations are on the North Downs Line from Reading to Redhill (near Gatwick).

Trains from Weymouth, Poole and Bournemouth to Waterloo only call at Farnborough (Main) a few times per day and the Hampshire station is more frequently served by trains from Portsmouth Harbour to Waterloo via Winchester and stopping services between Basingstoke and the capital.

Oh, Woking! The Surrey town that was once known for 'War of the Worlds' and Susie Dent from Channel 4's 'Countdown' is now renowned for its branch of Pizza Express.

The skyline of Woking has changed significantly (lots of high rise buildings) and particularly so around the town's art deco railway station. As well as being on the South West Main Line, passengers at Woking can board services to Guildford and Portsmouth via the Portsmouth Direct Line.

Clapham Junction railway station (which is in Battersea rather than Clapham) is the motorway service station of the railway network; it is a space you find yourself in, not because it is the destination, but because it is on the way.

It may be too obvious to say it, but Clapham Junction is busy! Trains arriving, passing and departing by the minute (approximately 2,000 per day), short headways between services and high passenger volumes makes for a hectic experience on platforms, in subways and across footbridges.

London Waterloo is where this service terminates. The former international railway station (services to Europe via the Channel Tunnel departed from Waterloo before the operation moved to St. Pancras) is one of the most famous stations in the UK; above ground it is flanked by another National Rail station, Waterloo East, and underneath it is one of the major interchanges of the London Underground. Passengers can avail themselves of services on the Bakerloo, Jubilee and Northern lines but there is also the option of the quirky Waterloo & City line that shuttles back and forth between just two stations, Waterloo and Bank.