Steam in Finland

Some time back, Harvey Smith produced a page on Railway Museums in Finland. This page concentrates on active preserved steam and Harvey would like to thank Juhani Katajisto with his assistance with this update on Finland, but any errors are Harvey’s.

I previously reported the existence of the Ukko-Pekka locomotive, but it now appears that there are two Ukko-Pekka Pacific locomotives stabled at Pasila in Helsinki – Hr1 1009 and 1021, 1009 is pictured here in December 2008 on a Christmas special at Pasila.

Finnish Railways will celebrate their 150 year birthday in 2012. So some mainline steam running in 2012 is predicted.

There is a current private restoration project, namely wood burner Hv3 995 (4-6-0), forecast completion is for 2011, see the links below:

http://vaunut.org/kuvat/?u=1619&m=1&paik=suolahti
http://www.steamrail.fi/historia.php

It seems that more restrictions are being imposed on steam hauled services, but they do operate.

Finland possesses at least nine (the first draft suggested just seven) 1524mm gauge steam locomotives which appear to be in working order;

Vk4 68 (Hyvinkaa Museum), 0-4-0 built by Borsig in 1910
Vr1 665 (Pieksämäki) and 789 (Haapamäki), 0-6-0T
Tk3 1136 (Haapamäki), 1148 (Rovaniemi), 1150 (Keitele Museo), 1168 (Porvoo), 2-8-0
Hr1 1009 and 1021, 4-6-2 both at the locomotive roundhouse in Pasila, Helsinki.

Wood burner Tk3 1168 is pictured with 2 Finnish steam enthusiasts, so steam enthusiasm is alive and well in Finland.