Summer Holiday 1998
Kouvola
railway station on Monday, June 22th 1998 at 7:49am. This is where it all
began.
Sm2 6073 in Kouvola as passenger train 9762 to Helsinki via Riihimäki.
Departure from Kouvola 8:24. This was my holidays first train.
In Tampere I had some time to wait for a train. Train station in picture.
I arrived at Vaasa 14:40 with express train P523 after changing trains
at Seinäjoki.
Church in Vaasa.
Upper
court house (Hovioikeustalo) in Vaasa. Note the similar architecture of
the church and court house, they have the same architecht.
On tuesday 23th I took express train P665, departure from Helsinki at 19:24.
I slept in this sleeping carriage.
I left the train in Tornio, actually in Tornio-Pohjoinen at 7:07. The train
continued to Kolari. The train stop Tornio-Pohjoinen is very small.
Note that plattform is short and made of wood.
The story behind the Torno-Pohjoinen goes as follows. In the year 1985
VR began to drive sleeping trains to Kolari, because there is a big skiing
and holiday area. The track to Kolari however doesn't go through Tornio
main station, but curves about one kilometer before to the north. So, Tornio-Pohjoinen
is about one kilometer away from Tornio city centre and 800 metres from
Tornio main station. In the picture Lapin Kulta bier brewery is on the
other side of the river, on the rigth. The city centre is left to the brewery.
Tornio main station. The passenger traffic between Tornio and Kemi ceased
in end of the 1980es (1988?), but the station was still open for ticket
sale. Ticket sale will definitely be ceased soon too.
This is where swedish 1435 mm track ends. The gauge in Finland is 1524
mm. Here departed last passeger train to Sweden in the beginning of the
1990es (in 1992?).
Tornio bus station. Town hall is the high building behind bus station.
There is a big house for turist's near the Finnish-Swedish border. In the
building there is turist information and shops. But I didn't see many turists
there.
Border looked from Finland towards Sweden. Swedish customs is the brown
building on the rigth.
The
Haparanda bus station is well signed. In the picture is one of the buses
driving on route Haparanda-Tornio-Kemi. It's rather old as all buses on
that route, although this bus is on different colours as other buses, which
are green-gray.
The Haparanda bus station is new.
In Sweden everything is beautiful. There is a Mercedes and work of art
in the front of town hall. And left from the town hall there is a nice
little hotel.
Haparanda church.
The Haparanda railway station is very big for a such a small city. Now
only small part of the building is used by Swedish Railway SJ. Perhaps
there were at the time of building the station big hopes for a busy border
crossing traffic? Now there is only some cargo traffic left. The railcars
between Tornio, Finland and Haparanda stopped in 1988 (?) and railcars
between Haparanda and Boden in 1992 (?). SJ has installed in 1997 (?) a
Talgo-gauge changing equipment in Haparanda. Perhaps this will bring a
little more freigt traffic.
This is how Haparanda station looks from line from Tornio. Note how lines
of different gauge cross each other! Finland has a gauge of 1524 mm and
Sweden 1435 mm.
There is a long railway bridge on border river Tornionjoki. The sign says
"crossing forbidden".
Alatornio church is near the Finnish end of the railway bridge.
Wooden Tornio church is not so imposing as the Alatornio church.
On Wednesday 24th June 1998 I took a nigth train from Kemi to Helsinki,
where I arrived in the morning of 25th June 1998 at 8:30. I took Pendolino
S220 train number 124 from Helsinki to Karjaa, where I arrived 9:57. From
Karjaa I continued at 10:06 with passenger train 354 to Hanko, where I
arrived at 10:49. Hanko is the southernmost town in Finland. In the picture
is the railway station.
There is a water tower in Hanko, which is used also a sightseeing point.
View towards west from water tower. Town centre is on this side of railway.
The whole town centre is not in the picture, but the town is still rather
small. The railway station is the white building on the far rigth, on other
side of the railway.
Hanko chuch.
On Friday 26th of June I went to Naantali, a little town near Turku on
west coast of Finland. I travelled from Turku to Naantali and back with
these "Lättähattu" Dm7 railcards. The traffic between Turku
and Naantali was organised by Höyryveturimatkat Oy, although railcars
were driven by VR personnel, because railway traffic on state (RHK)
tracks is still VR monopoly. The trains run in summer 1998 for a first
time, and should run every summer. Traffic was first personnel traffic
on this line for over ten years.
In the picture is the bridge to the biggest sight in Naantali, the Moomin's
home valley.
The town hall in Naantali is big and imposing.
Of the three small towns I visited in summer of 1998, I must
say that best town for tourist is Naantali. In Naantali there is
more to see as in Hanko and Tornio. Naantali has Moomin's home valley and
more museums as the two other town. Naantali is perhaps little smaller
than Tornio, but has still more restaurants. Hanko is also a good choice
for a day trip, not far behind from Naantali. Hanko has a nice town centre
and harbour as Naantali does, but Naantali has more nice little old houses.
From these three towns is Tornio the worst town for normal tourist, but
Tornio is the best place for railway hobbyist.
Back
to my homepage. All pictures copyrigth 1998.
Created 23.8.1998. 
Changed 9.7.2003.
Sm2 6073 in Kouvola as passenger train 9762 to Helsinki via Riihimäki.
Departure from Kouvola 8:24. This was my holidays first train.
In Tampere I had some time to wait for a train. Train station in picture.
I arrived at Vaasa 14:40 with express train P523 after changing trains
at Seinäjoki.
Church in Vaasa.
Upper
court house (Hovioikeustalo) in Vaasa. Note the similar architecture of
the church and court house, they have the same architecht.
On tuesday 23th I took express train P665, departure from Helsinki at 19:24.
I slept in this sleeping carriage.
I left the train in Tornio, actually in Tornio-Pohjoinen at 7:07. The train
continued to Kolari. The train stop Tornio-Pohjoinen is very small.
Note that plattform is short and made of wood.
The story behind the Torno-Pohjoinen goes as follows. In the year 1985
VR began to drive sleeping trains to Kolari, because there is a big skiing
and holiday area. The track to Kolari however doesn't go through Tornio
main station, but curves about one kilometer before to the north. So, Tornio-Pohjoinen
is about one kilometer away from Tornio city centre and 800 metres from
Tornio main station. In the picture Lapin Kulta bier brewery is on the
other side of the river, on the rigth. The city centre is left to the brewery.
Tornio main station. The passenger traffic between Tornio and Kemi ceased
in end of the 1980es (1988?), but the station was still open for ticket
sale. Ticket sale will definitely be ceased soon too.
This is where swedish 1435 mm track ends. The gauge in Finland is 1524
mm. Here departed last passeger train to Sweden in the beginning of the
1990es (in 1992?).
Tornio bus station. Town hall is the high building behind bus station.
There is a big house for turist's near the Finnish-Swedish border. In the
building there is turist information and shops. But I didn't see many turists
there.
Border looked from Finland towards Sweden. Swedish customs is the brown
building on the rigth.
The
Haparanda bus station is well signed. In the picture is one of the buses
driving on route Haparanda-Tornio-Kemi. It's rather old as all buses on
that route, although this bus is on different colours as other buses, which
are green-gray.
The Haparanda bus station is new.
In Sweden everything is beautiful. There is a Mercedes and work of art
in the front of town hall. And left from the town hall there is a nice
little hotel.
Haparanda church.
The Haparanda railway station is very big for a such a small city. Now
only small part of the building is used by Swedish Railway SJ. Perhaps
there were at the time of building the station big hopes for a busy border
crossing traffic? Now there is only some cargo traffic left. The railcars
between Tornio, Finland and Haparanda stopped in 1988 (?) and railcars
between Haparanda and Boden in 1992 (?). SJ has installed in 1997 (?) a
Talgo-gauge changing equipment in Haparanda. Perhaps this will bring a
little more freigt traffic.
This is how Haparanda station looks from line from Tornio. Note how lines
of different gauge cross each other! Finland has a gauge of 1524 mm and
Sweden 1435 mm.
There is a long railway bridge on border river Tornionjoki. The sign says
"crossing forbidden".
Alatornio church is near the Finnish end of the railway bridge.
Wooden Tornio church is not so imposing as the Alatornio church.
On Wednesday 24th June 1998 I took a nigth train from Kemi to Helsinki,
where I arrived in the morning of 25th June 1998 at 8:30. I took Pendolino
S220 train number 124 from Helsinki to Karjaa, where I arrived 9:57. From
Karjaa I continued at 10:06 with passenger train 354 to Hanko, where I
arrived at 10:49. Hanko is the southernmost town in Finland. In the picture
is the railway station.
There is a water tower in Hanko, which is used also a sightseeing point.
View towards west from water tower. Town centre is on this side of railway.
The whole town centre is not in the picture, but the town is still rather
small. The railway station is the white building on the far rigth, on other
side of the railway.
Hanko chuch.
On Friday 26th of June I went to Naantali, a little town near Turku on
west coast of Finland. I travelled from Turku to Naantali and back with
these "Lättähattu" Dm7 railcards. The traffic between Turku
and Naantali was organised by Höyryveturimatkat Oy, although railcars
were driven by VR personnel, because railway traffic on state (RHK)
tracks is still VR monopoly. The trains run in summer 1998 for a first
time, and should run every summer. Traffic was first personnel traffic
on this line for over ten years.
In the picture is the bridge to the biggest sight in Naantali, the Moomin's
home valley.
The town hall in Naantali is big and imposing.