Nestled in the south-western town of Jokioinen is Finland's only narrow-gauge heritage railway. The 14-kilometre long and 750mm wide tracks and stations form an unusual kind of museum that is largely run by volunteers and is open only during the summer months and Christmas.
Two 18-year-olds, Aapo Oikarinen and Matias Immonen, have volunteered at the heritage railway since they were schoolchildren.
"I was five or six years old when I first boarded a train here. When I was nine, I volunteered for the first time," Oikarinen said.
Oikarinen is now responsible for controlling the historic 'Sohvi' locomotive, which was built in 1917, making it the first locomotive manufactured in independent Finland.
One of his tasks is heating up Sohvi's wood-fired boiler for hours in order to get the train ready for passengers — a job that takes such a long time in order to keep the heat expansion under control. The process of feeding logs into the boiler's firebox and maintaining the locomotive is not a job for those afraid of getting their hands dirty.
Driving the historic trains is the big attraction for most people wanting to get involved with the heritage railway, but the package includes some more arduous tasks, as well. The museum is increasingly focused on getting this message across to more potential young volunteers.
The museum attracts up to 12,000 annual visitors and has an annual budget of 100,000 euros, to which ticket revenues contribute some 70,000 euros. The museum needs around 30 volunteers to get through the busy three-month-long season, and is looking for more helpers.
All-inclusive induction weekends for volunteer recruits
Active volunteers like Oikarinen and Immonen are crucial to the museum. The Finnish Heritage Railway Association has about 870 members, but only 10 to 15 active ones. The non-active members' contributions are mostly monetary, through membership fees.
To attract more volunteers, once a year the association hosts an all-inclusive weekend for those interested in working at the historic railway. The association offers participants accommodation, food and drink as well as lots of community spirit and things to do.
"We market the volunteering to youth by telling them that this is not just a heritage train ride, but that there's more to it. If two or three of them become interested in our work - even temporarily - that's great," Jokioinen Museum Railway's marketing and PR officer Marko Laine said.
The most unusual tourist destination in South-West Häme?
The Jokioinen Museum Railway links three railway stations: Humppila, Minkiö and Jokioinen. Trains trundle along the 14-kilometres of track between the two end stations pulled by a heritage steam or diesel locomotive.
At the museum headquarters in Minkiö, visitors can also see the museum's other historic trains, or book their own handcar to take on the rails.
The heritage trains run on Sundays in June and July, and every Saturday in August. The handcar rental is open daily from the beginning of June until mid-September.
