Jokioinen Museum Railway
The Jokioinen Museum Railway is located in Southwest Häme, in the municipalities of Jokioinen and Humppila. The narrow-gauge railway is 14 kilometers long and has a gauge of 750 mm. The Jokioinen Museum Railway is the only narrow-gauge railway in Finland that has survived to the present day and is still in use. It continues the tradition of the Jokioinen Railway, which operated from 1898 to 1974. The museum railway is a large, living entity, consisting of the railway itself, the station and utility buildings along its route, and the museum train equipment used in traffic. The first museum trains ran on the line as early as 1971, and regular museum train service has been in place since 1978.
The museum railway has three stations: Humppila, Jokioinen, and Minkiö, where the Narrow Gauge Museum is also located. The museum consists of the old station environment at Minkiö and the locomotives and carriages displayed in the yard and rolling stock hall. Locomotives and carriages has been collected from several narrow-gauge railways that operated in Finlan
Minkiö station also has a summer café with a souvenir shop as well as handcar rentals. Scheduled museum trains run on Sundays in June and July, and on Saturdays in August. In September and December, the museum train operates during special events. The museum railway also hosts various themed days, such as the Vintage Car Mobile Day, country market, autumn ride, and the whole-family Santa Train.
Groups have the opportunity to order a private train pulled by a steam or diesel locomotive at a time that suits them. When there is no snow, tourists and small groups can rent a handcar and travel independently along the museum line through the rural landscape of southwestern Häme. The maintenance of the museum railway as a cultural heritage site ensures the preservation of the history of narrow-gauge railways and provides visitors with the opportunity to explore Finnish transport and industrial history through experience. The operation of the Jokioinen Museum Railway is managed by the Museum Railway Association, and the activities are based on voluntary work.
ERIH Member
Jokioinen Museum Railway
Minkiö Station
Kiipuntie 49
31630 Minkiö
Highlights
History
The Jokioinen railway was opened to traffic in 1898 and was at the same time Finland’s first narrow-gauge railway for public traffic. The railway was 23 km long and was built to serve the region’s industry. The railway connected Forssa and Jokioinen to the state railway network in Humppila. The Jokioinen railway had passenger traffic until 1954, when the railway company switched to bus transportation. Freight traffic continued until March 1974. At the time of its closure, the railway was Finland’s last narrow-gauge railway for public traffic.
Museum railway operations began as early as 1969, when a steam locomotive and two carriages preserved from the Hyvinkää-Karkkila railway, which had been closed in 1967, were saved. The rescued equipment was brought to Forssa, where restoration work began. Finland’s first museum train departed from Forssa on 21.8.1971. Museum trains operated in the summers between Forssa and Humppila from 1971 to 1973. Due to the closure and dismantling of the Jokioinen railway, museum train traffic was interrupted. The Forssa-Jokioinen section was dismantled in 1974, and the following year the Minkiö-Humppila section was dismantled. The battle began to preserve the remaining Minkiö-Jokioinen section.
Finland’s first museum railway was established in 1978. At that time, the length of the museum railway had been reduced to 6 kilometers, and there was regular museum traffic from 1978 to 1993. In 1992–93, the 8-kilometer Minkiö-Humppila section was rebuilt. Museum train traffic on this section began in 1994, making the current length of the museum railway 14 km.
Links
Explore the Jokioinen Museum Railway More!
https://www.jokioistenmuseorautatie.fi/en/
https://www.museorautatieyhdistys.fi/en/
