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 train 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.
The handcar trips at Jokioinen Museum Railway offer a fun and sportive way for all kind of groups to travel through beautiful Finnish countryside.
To help your group we at the Jokioinen Museum Railway have built up a couple of ready made handcar trip packages. The handcar trips are for groups of no more than 15 participants. Making a a handcar trip is a great way to get some exercise and enjoy the views of surrounding countryside.
Renting handcars while the narrow gauge museum is open
You can rent the new light weight handcars directly at Minkiö station while there is no train traffic and the narrow gauge museum is open from the beginning of June until mid August on Monday to Friday (In July Tuesday to Saturday) at 11 - 18! There are 4 handcars and 2-4 people can ride on each. The rent is 15€ / person for maximum of three hours and 25€ / person for a whole day.
You can reserve a handcar in advance by contacting the chief of operations Mr Jussi Tepponen. Reservations have to be made at least one week (7 days) before your trip.
Guided handcar trip
A guided handcar trip includes transportation of handcars to the starting point of your trip, a tour guide provided by Jokioinen Museum Railway, and visit to Minkiö narrow gauge museum. Also the return transportation back to the starting point is included. Price of the trip is € 350.
Jokioinen estates and the railway
In the morning we are gathering at the Jokioinen estates and make a guided visit to a nail museum and the park of the Jokioinen states. After this we will walk to our handcars and after a short practice we will start pumping our handcars towards Minkiö station.
At Minkiö we will have a picnic lunch and a guided tour of the Minkiö depot. After that we will start a handcar trip towards Humppila. At Humppila station we will have a short break with soft drinks and snacks. The return trip to Minkiö is all downhill and goes pretty fast. From Minkiö station there is a return transportation by a railcar or equivalent back to Jokioinen.
The trip will last about six hours and the price of the trip is about 600-950 euros for a group. You can also make the trip in reverse direction. It is also possible to make the trip with a group larger than 15 people with a service train that will run ahead hand cars. The train can stop and the riders of hand trolleys can change places with the people on board the train.
Small handcar trip with a sauna at Minkiö station
Gathering is around four o'clock at Humppila station. At first there is a short introduction to handcars and the Humppila station. After this there is a easy handcar ride down hill to Minkiö station.
At Minkiö there is a barbecue and after that a guided tour to the depot. After the guided tour the Sauna is warm. The group can also keep using the grill at sauna and take their time over there. After sauna there is a return transport to Humppila station.
The trip will take about five hours and cost about 600-950 euros for one group. A group larger than 15 persons is also possible with a special service train running ahead of the hand trollies.
Ask for an offer!
For more infformation and offers on trolley trips, please contact the Chief of Operations Mr Jussi Tepponen.