Switzerland has been a tourist destination since tourism began, and one of the most popular places is Zermatt. Nestled in a bowl in the mountains, Zermatt would be liable to pollution from motor vehicles, and so it is totally car free, and to get there you must take the train. The metre gauge line runs from Brig to Visp, with main line connections at both places, then turns off to climb to Zermatt. It is 44 kms long, and spectacular. It was opened throughout in 1891. As the town welcomed increasing numbers of tourists, hotels were built, with probably the most successful being those built, and run, by the Seiler family.
From Zermatt, another railway, the Gornergrat Bahn (still using three phase electricity today and with new trains since 2022…