The traditional Minkiö Steam festival organized in the last weekend of July was again a great success. This year marked the tenth year for the two day steam event with 2535 people visiting it. The Jokioinen Municipal Days were organized together with Jokioinen steam festival at Jokioinen end of the railway.
This year four out of five operational steam locomotives of Jokioinen Museum railway were in operation. Three locomotives were pulling museum trains between Humppila and Jokioinen and the small H.K. Porter locomotive was pulling the one car park train at the festival grounds in Minkiö.
There were five stationary steam engine in operation; "Ruston" of Mäkilä Tractor Museum from Somero, "Kullervo" of the Finnish Museum of Agriculture from Loimaa, "Paras-Apu" of Mr Juha-Pekka Eeva, Ruston of Mr Kalle Huhtala, and "Kullervo" of Thomas Commondt from Pargas. In operation there was also an old steam ship boiler and a steam fire engine of Turku Area Rescue Services. In addition there were several stationary petrol engines and tractors. People could also try to use a railway hand car and watch a collection of miniature steam engines and Lego trains.
This summer steam trains operate on narrow gauge Humppila-Jokioinen railway every Sunday from the beginning of June until end of August. All the timetables and events of the summer can be found at the Event Calendar.
On the 14 km long Jokioinen Museum railway more than 400 000 trips had been made during the 41 years of museum operation. The railway is one of the most important tourist destinations in South-West Tavastia. The museum railway is fully operated and maintained by volunteers of Museum Railway Association, an association of more tha n 800 members in Finland and aboard.
This operating season there are four steam locomotives in operation from years 1901-1948. There are more than ten passenger carriages in use and a 1911 built passenger coach of Hyinkää-Karkkila railway is just about to be finished after more than 10 years of renovation.