Hanko-Hyvinkää Railroad
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The Hanko-Hyvinkää Railroad, 1872-1875 (Hangö-Hyvinge Järnväg in Swedish), was Finland's first privately funded railroad.
Hanko is the southernmost town in Finland. It has a seaport that, thanks to its location, can be used for the longest possible time during the sometimes very severe Finnish winters.
Anticipating a lot of transit freight traffic during the time the other seaports were frozen solid, a decision was made to privately fund a 149 km (92.5 mile) railroad from Hanko to the Finnish State Railways' Helsinki-Hämeenlinna track, connecting at Hyvinkää. The work on the track began in 1872, and the inaugural run was on October 8, 1873. Unfortunately, the insufficiently funded private company soon got into financial trouble, and facing almost certain liquidation, it was sold to the State Railroads in 1875.
This first private RR in Finland had obtained nine Baldwin 4-4-0 engines, in addition to four engines of European manufacture.
The Finnish Railway Museum is located on the site of the original station building and yard in Hyvinkää.
