A SERIES of events celebrating the 175th anniversary of the Southampton to Dorchester railway line are taking place.

The route was originally formed in June 1847 and, in the early days, became known as ‘Castleman’s Corkscrew’ as a result of its winding route and principle promoter Charles Castleman. When the line was established it was hoped the route would form part of a continuous service from London to Exeter though an extension down to Exeter never materialised.

Read more: Sea Beats in Weymouth crowned best seafood restaurant in England

Events will be held across Southampton, Brockenhurst, Bournemouth, Wareham, Wool and Dorchester South. Today and tomorrow representatives from local Community Rail Partnerships will be at the stations handing out cake, goody bags, activity sheets and wildflower seed packets to celebrate the anniversary.

Over the weekend Wareham Library will be reading extracts aloud on the train from Wareham to Dorchester during morning services. Wareham Museum will host a guided walk of Wareham and the walls discussing the history of Wareham and the impact of the railway. The tour will begin at the station at 11am and lasts for two hours.

Dorchester Library will host a triple-header of events today: between 10am and 2pm there will be a model railway demonstration, whilst from 10am until 10.30am there’ll be a family friendly “library gets lively” train special, and, between 2.30pm and 3.30pm the Library will host a ‘Lego Trains and Locomotives’ spectacular with pre-booking recommended.

Read more: The restriction at Studland you'll need to know about this summer

Throughout the week the Not Just Sundaes community café in Wareham will host a photo exhibition documenting ‘175 years of Wareham’ and on June 17, Wareham Library will feature a talk by Paul Atterbury on the history and future of railway from 6pm.

A spokesperson for Purbeck Community Rail Partnership said: “Community Rail Partnerships (CRPs) are local organisations dedicated to connecting communities to their railway and vice-versa. They comprise train operators, councils and other interested local bodies. Purbeck CRP has taken the lead on developing this project. It is a member of the national Community Rail Network, and has been accredited by the Department for Transport.”