This title picture shows an ICN train coming down from the Gotthard mountain pass on its way towards the city of Zürich. ICN stands for InterCity Neigezug, InterCity tilting train.
Picture from Wassen station 1.5.2016 by Ilkka Siissalo.

Switzerland is one of the world’s leading train countries: a mountainous small piece of land, where building a train line up the mountain side seems like the most stupid thing to do. Yet, in addition to the state railroad company SBB, there are over 30 private railway companies. The Swiss make use of all thinkable and unthinkable gauge widths, electricity systems, control systems, ticketing systems etc. The majority of the trains run on the "wrong side" compared to road traffic (Left handed traffic due to the old British influence; some of the country’s oldest rail companies used to be owned by London businessmen in the mid 1800s !) - it’s all extremely complicated, extremely odd and extremely fascinating for the occasional train enthusiast visitor.

And the Swiss do use their trains - maybe more than anybody else. No matter the outrageous train ticket prices, among the locals it’s still commonday practise even now in the beginning of the 2000s to take the train for any trip longer than 100 km - something which rarely happens anywhere else in the western world.

Federal Railroads SBB-CFF-FFS

• SBB's electric locomotives and EMUs
• SBB's diesel locomotives
• SBB concept wagons and special train types
• SBB Thurbo, a local traffic subsidiary in the canton of Thurgau. Contains also pictures of the former Mittelthurgaubahn.
• The former Cisalpino, a joint venture with Trenitalia
• Léman Express, a regional trains joint venture of SBB and the French SNCF
• TGV Lyria, a joint venture of Swiss SBB and French SNCF in fast bullet train traffic.
• Tilo, a joint venture of Swiss SBB and the Italian Trenord.

Private and Commune or Kanton owned railroads
• Aare Seeland Mobil
• Aargau Verkehr AG, incl. former Bremgarten-Dietikon Bahn BD, Wohlen-Meisterschwanden Bahn WM, Wynen- und Suhrentalbahn WSB
• AB - Appenzeller Bahnen, narrow and normal gauge railways in Kantons of St.Gallen, Appenzeller Innerrhoden & A. Ausserrhoden
• BAM Bière-Apples-Morges railroad, MBC Transports de la région Morges-Bière-Cossonay. A narrow gauge railroad near Lake Geneva.
• BLM Mürrenbahn - a small railroad high up on the Bernese Alps
• BLS - the Bern-Lötschberg-Simplon Bahn Group + companies fusioned into BLS (e.g. Regionalverkehr Mittelland)
• BOB - Berner-Oberland Bahn
• BRB - Brienz-Rothorn-Bahn, a steam engine tourist attraction train near Interlaken
• CJ - Chemins de Fer du Jura, a private railroad in the French speaking Kanton Jura
• Transports Publics Neuchâtelois transN
• Frauenfeld-Wil-Bahn, a narrow gauge railway between the cantons of Thurgau and St Gallen
• LEB - Lausanne - Echallens - Bercher, a narrow gauge railway uphill from Lausanne
• NStCM, Nyon - St Cergue - La Cure, a small narrow gauge railway in the canton of Valais
• mgb - Matterhorn-Gotthardbahn incl. former FO Furka-Oberalpbahn, former BVZ Brig-Visp-Zermattbahn
• MOB - Montreux - Oberland Bernois railway, Golden Pass Line
• RhB - Rhätische Bahn, Europe’s largest narrow gauge network
• Südostbahn, a large normal gauge private railraod company
• SPB - Schynige-Platte-Bahn, a tourist railway near Interlaken
• SZU - Sihltalbahn, part of the Zürich S-Bahn network
• SZU-Uetlibergbahn, part of the Zürich S-Bahn network
• Transports publics Fribourgeois tpf incl. pictures of the former GFM Gruyère-Fribourg-Morat
• Travys, two small railroads in the canton of Vaud.
• WAB - Wengernalpbahn, a cog wheel railroad high on the Bernese Alps
• Zentralbahn ZB - narrow gauge service in the Luzern to Interlaken alpine area

Other
• Funiculars
• Miscellaneous; stations, cable cars etc.
• Industrial locomotives

Trams
• BVB - Basel Verkehrsbetriebe, the Basel city tram network
• BLT - Basellandtrafik & WB Waldenburgerbahn, the Baselland Kanton tram network.
• TCB - Tramclub Basel, a club maintaining historic Basel BVB and BLT trams
• BernMobil, trams of Bern
• TPG - Transports Publics Genevois, trams of the city of Geneva (Geneve)
• VBZ - Verkehrsbetriebe der Stadt Zürich, trams of Zürich

A class HGe II electric cog wheel narrow gauge locomotive of the Matterhorn-Gotthardbahn MGB. Switzerland is full of private railroads with all kinds of gauge widths and electric systems. Some of the alpine narrow gauge trains climb even to the height of three kilometres from sea level. This picture is from Andermatt 1.5.2016 by Ilkka Siissalo.