On the Jokioinen Museum Railway, in addition to the steam train, you can also enjoy a trip on a railway hand car. On board the hand car, you can travel at your own pace, enjoy the beautiful rural scenery and stop along the way at the Santavaihde campfire site to barbecue or eat snacks.
The railway hand cars for rent are two-person hand cars, which can accommodate up to two passengers in addition to two operators. There are four hand cars in total, so you can also go on a trip with friends!
Railway hand cars can be rented from Minkiö station, halfway along the Jokioinen Museum Railway, during the museum's opening hours. Hand cars are not rented on Sundays in June and July, Saturdays in August, or during times when charter trains are running on the track. If you want to be sure that you will get a hand car, you can make a reservation for a hand car in advance.
On a railway hand car, both the operators and passengers stand. The operators hold the pump operating handles and the passengers hold the round handle in the middle. One of the pumpers also takes care of braking with a brake pedal on the hand car's deck. Due to the height of the pump operating handles and passanger handles, hand cars are not recommended for the youngest members of the family, but school-age children can already use hand cars with adult guidance and assistance.
Planning a hand car trip
You always start the hand car trip from Minkiö station. There are sign posts to Minkiö station from both the Pori-Helsinki road n:o 2 and the Turku-Hämeenlinna road n:o 10. The Minkiö station crossing can also be reached by bus from Forssa, Jokioinen and Humppila railway station (the bus stop is on the south side of Humppila station next to the platform). There is also an express bus connection from Helsinki and Pori to Latovainio on the N:o 2 road, from where it is a half-hour 3 km walk to Minkiö station.
From Minkiö station, you can take an easier trip in the direction of Jokioinen, where at the very beginning of the journey you will cross the oldest railway bridge still in railway use in Finland, the Jänhijoki Bridge. The distance to Jokioinen station is 6 km and on the way you can stop either for a picnic by the forest or at one of the railway halts. Jokioinen station has a dry toilet and water tap under the water crane for locomotives.
Another option is to pump towards Humppila, where you will face the toughest uphills on the railway. On the other hand, when you come back, you will have good downhills to give you speed!
Halfway through the journey to Humppila, at the former Santavaihte spur, there is a lean-to shelter, a wood shed, dry toilet, and a campfire site where you can grill sausages, steaks, juicy vegetables or other grilled delicacies as long as there is no forest fire warning in effect. It is worth asking Minkiö for wood for the campfire.
After the Santavaihte spur, the steepest hill on the railway, the Huhtin hill, is the next step, followed by a straight line to Humppila station. In Humppila, the station has an old split canopy, which is a good place to take shelter on a rainy day while eating your lunch, and if the weather is sunny, you can enjoy your lunch sitting on the station benches. Right near Humppila station, on the other side of the Turku-Toijala track, is the Humppila swimming place at Koiviston Lammi lake with its sandy beaches and diving towers. So you can even take a dip during your hand car trip!
Water, drinks, coffee, buns, ice cream and snacks can be purchased at the Minkiö station cafeteria before or after the hand car trip.
Hand car reservations
You can book hand cars in advance from the Charter Trains Sales or from Minkiö station during its opening hours, see right, or by phone directly from Minkiö station at the number (03) 433 3235.
Prices
The rental fee for hand cars is as follows (the price also includes a guided tour of the narrow gauge railway museum if desired):
hand car rental 1. hour: 10 euros/person (under 12 years old 5 euros/person)
hand car rental following hours: 5 euros/person (under 12 years ols 2,5 euros/person)
hand car rental 4 hours of whole day: 25 euros/person (under 12 year old, 12,50 euros/person)
hand car rental Night at the lean-to shelter: 25 € / person: (under 12 yera old, 12,50 euros/person) - start at Minkiö at 17:30-18:00 and returning hand cars at Minkiön the next morning by 11:00 AM.
Payment in cash or by card at Minkiö station when renting a railway hand car.