Montreaux to Zwiessman Golden Pass train

Swiss trains generally do not require or accept reservations. The segment from Montreux to Zweisimminen is designated "reservation recommended". Some trains have panorama cars (the ones leaving Montreux at 44 past the even hours). There is really no need to buy on line, but the schedules are at www.sbb.ch.
The RS org does not sell individual tickets, but they do sell Swiss Travel Passes or 1-month Half Fare Cards, which you may want to consider if you will be travelling a lot in Switzerland.

How do we make reservations and how far in advance can we make them?

Well I know the unfortunate soul who I booted from my reserved seat on a packed train certainly wishes she had thought to make a reservation :-)

You can get all of the information you need about the Golden Pass at www.goldenpass.ch It's not the easiest site to navigate to find the reservation link so I'll include that here:

http://tickets.goldenpass.ch/reservation/reservation/reservation/reservation/reservation/reservation/reservation/reservation/reservation/reservation/f?p=151:1:3381474991704524::NO:::

Since you are going in 2016, give yourself a reminder when you are 3 months away from departure. There will be 2 complete schedule overhauls between now and then. Probably no real changes will occur, but computers have a hard time making reservations for trains that technically don't exist. They will exist when the summer schedule for 2016 comes out sometime in March 2016 and the schedules are loaded.

Don't worry about language issues. Your train will cross from the French speaking part of Switzerland to the German speaking part. English is kind of the third language that most people in tourist related businesses have mastered. It is the go-to language for people all over the world.

Don't worry about train transfers. The Swiss have this down to a T. You have to transfer at Montreux because the train to Zweisimminen is narrow gauge, the distance between the rails 39 inches vs 48 inches on standard gauge. You have to change again at Zweisimminen because the rails go back to standard gauge. Your connecting train will be there waiting for you. They've been doing this twenty times every day for the last 120 years. They've gotten pretty good at it.

Just to elaborate on Sam's answer, standard gauge is actually 4 feet, 8 and a half inches, or 142.24 cm.

when you get to Zweissman, the train you will transfer to is 10 steps away across the same platform. Easy peasy. In Montreux it's a little more difficult since you are going from one train company to another, but again almost everyone at that station is doing it so you can figure it out.

As noted, a year in advance is too far to commit to train tickets or passes. Keep doing your research, using not only Rick but also sites like http://www.seat61.com/ and http://www.goldenpass.ch/en. If you're new to trains, you want to read as much as possible beforehand so you'll be comfortable. It's really quite a cinch. And you're hardly the only tourists in Europe who speak English, in fact they all do!

When I inquired with Rail Europe about whether I should pop for seat reservations, they said at that time of year you will have no trouble getting a seat whenever you want. And they were right. But if it makes you more comfortable, you can always get one.

Hi Idoreen,

It is good idea to start your research early especially if it is all knew to you. But it is way to early to be worrying about reservations that will come much nearer the departure time as it only possible to make reservations etc.. within 3 months of the date of departure.

The Golden Pass route is a very good choice and I do it at least twice a year as it is close to where I live. When I travel, I usually take the normal local train rather than the panorama one. This is because I don't like to be confined to one seat an a fully booked train even if the windows are bigger. On the local trains you usually find that there are a lot less people so you can usually switch back and forth as the view changes, you can also let down the windows and so on. However rest assured that no matter what your choice you will have a spectacular trip.

When it comes to language, it is natural to be concerned about going somewhere where you don't speak the same language, but there are a couple of things to keep in mind: first of all English is a very widely spoken language so you are almost always going to find an English speaker on your travels. Secondly there so many languages spoken in Europe that we are used to encounters with people we don't understand and the system is designed for this through a series of common colours and symbols: for instance the departures at a train station are listed on a yellow background and arrives are on a white background and so on.

When it comes to changing trains there are a few things to keep in mind here too. Firstly when a timetable suggests a change it already takes into account the fact that you have to change and secondly when changes are required they are usually very straight forward, perhaps you just have to cross over to the train on the opposite side of the platform, remain of the same platform for the next train or maybe a short walk to an adjoining platform. Either way I'm sure you'll work it out and if in doubt just ask.

Enjoy the research it is part of the fun and ask as many questions as you want.

Jim.

Many thanks to everyone who replied to my inquiry!
It is a fantastic start to a wonderful Swiss vacation that we have been looking forward to.
I am now comfortable and confident that we can design an itinerary just for us!
I know it's just the beginning and I still need to continue learning and researching the details for our trip!
We navigated through the Tokyo metro and subway system so we're ready for the Swiss challenge!
I can't thank everyone enough for your warm and friendly words of advice!!!!

and BTW, if you can handle mass transit in Japan everywhere else in the world will be a breeze! Everything's written in Romanji!