terribly confused about the rail systems in Switzerland and France

It sounds like you primarily need train schedules, to know whether your destinations are served by train. Looking Up Train Schedules and Routes Online gives you the Deutsche Bahn train schedule link and tips for using it. Some buses operated in conjunction with railways will also appear on these schedules. This site doesn't sell tickets outside Germany, but is your best resource for international schedules.

Short regional train tickets can be purchased locally without reservation, but long-distance trains to Paris require seat reservations and any advance-purchase discounts are likely getting sold out for your travel dates, so you probably want to book that before you go.

Not sure what is confusing you. Have you looked up train ties on the DB website that Laura linked to: https://www.bahn.com/en/view/index.shtml
Note that rail site is the easiest to look up times, but it does not sell tickets for your routes.

I count 3 train trips:
1) Geneva airport to Montreux. Easy, 2 departures per hour, trip takes 1h18, costs CHF 35. Just buy at the station at Geneva airport.
2) Montreux to Xxx (somewhere in France. I can't really offer much as you haven't told us where Xxx is.
3) Xxx to Paris. Are you going direct to the airport (with a 10:00 departure you may want to overnight at the airport), or are you spending some time in Paris first?

Trains are relatively easy to look up. But, like looking up flights, you need to first decide which station you want to go from and to.

For scenic rides in the Alps from Montreux, you could do the first half of the "Golden Pass Line" to Interlaken (see here: http://www.goldenpassline.ch/en/ ), and then double back. If you want to go 30 minutes further, you can get to Lauterbrunnen.
See here for some photos: https://www.istockphoto.com/ch/fotos/lauterbrunnen?sort=mostpopular&mediatype=photography&phrase=lauterbrunnen

You could take the Golden Pass route from Montreux to Lucerne, then head to Paris. You don’t really have much time for France.

OMG - thank you as I did not realize it could be this easy - yes we know for sure we have 2 nights booked at hotel in Montreaux and now know that we can simply buy a rail pass to go to this town - the hotel is 800 feet from the train station I am told. Then we are trying to go back into France for a wine tour of some sort - (not sure what town )perhaps Champagne, but really open to options based upon wine tours, then to Paris only for the evening to then depart for US on 10:00 am flight out May 24th. I have been so confused at all the different options for rail and have never traveled this way before so an all new experience for my wife and I from Ohio. YES WE would like to do the golden pass if scenic and taking us toward Paris. This was a business trip that went south and I had airfare for May 18 arrival into Geneva already booked for us so trip still happening with open agenda and departure out of Paris 10:00 am 5/24.
Do we really need the 8 day Swiss Rail pass or the 8 day Euro rail pass for hundreds of dollars?
We were thinking of just seeing some beauty in the Swiss Alps for a few days, then taking in a winery in France for a few days, then onto Paris (no sightseeing there) to head home.
Thank you for your counsel!
Peace
Kelly

After reviewing the link, yes we will likely do the Golden Pass then into Interlaken as the pics you sent were beautiful, then simply return to our hotel for the evening
Thank you so very much for the information.
Blessings
Kelly

Glad you are happier. some responses:

"now know that we can simply buy a rail pass to go to this town" - its not a pass, its a ticket. A pass is something that lets you travel multiple times and cost a lot more. A ticket just gets you from A to B once (same as a plane ticket does).

"wine tour of some sort - (not sure what town )perhaps Champagne" - Champagne is a region of France, with many Champagne towns and villages in it. It's like saying "not sure what town, perhaps New England".
I suggest you investigate Reims. It is a city in Champagne, with an old cathedral and many wine houses. And easy to get to by train.
Reims Tourism: https://www.reims-tourism.com/
Épernay is also an option, a smaller wine town south of Reims. There are more.

"YES WE would like to do the golden pass if scenic and taking us toward Paris." - You could overnight (or 2-3 nights) in Lauterbrunnen, and then continue from there. With trains you can, with a little planning, get from anywhere to anywhere else as long as they both have stations.
As above, you would actually want to get from Lauterbrunen to Reims, which is a train journey you can look up on https://www.bahn.com/en/view/index.shtml
I just looked it up. Quickest option:

Lauterbrunnen depart 10:02, Reims arrive 18:14

"Do we really need the 8 day Swiss Rail pass or the 8 day Euro rail pass for hundreds of dollars?" - NO! (Loud scream). You buy tickets for each trip, same as if you are flying. The earlier you buy the cheaper the tickets.
And you buy from the train company running the train, or from a reseller. But beware, the resellers that advertise most on the internet have the highest markups.
Try this website: https://www.thetrainline.com/

You still have lots of options, but what I suggest above requires 5 train trips:
1) Geneva airport to Montreux
2) Montreux to Lauterbrunnen
3) Lauterbrunnr to Reims
4) Reims to Paris
5) Paris to airport (Charles de Gaulle)
I'm not saying that's the best option, just one. It's your trip.

To become a train expert, read this: https://www.seat61.com/Europe-train-travel.htm

Since you say you won't do any sightseeing on Paris, for a 10 a.m. flight (7 a.m. check in ?) perhaps you should consider a train going directly to CDG on May 23 and spending the night at an airport hotel. Depends on your tolerance for stress/anxiety -- many people would suggest taking an early-morning TGV from Reims to maximize your touring time, but the last-night-at-the-Ibis routine fits our needs.

kw,

Using the trains in both France and Switzerland is very easy. It's simply a matter of determining your destination and buying a ticket. Switzerland has an incredible transportation network, with trains, buses and mountain lifts all integrated into the fully electrified system. Train journeys may involve one or more changes so you'll have to be up-to-speed on that.

Note that many cities in Europe have more than one station, so you'll have to know which stations you need to use. You may want to have a look at the Rick Steves guidebooks for both countries as there's lots of information there on getting around as well as travel within cities.

If you want to do a wine tasting on the way to Paris, stop in Dijon on the way. You can take a van tour of the Burgundy region with wine tastings. You can get a direct TGV from Lausanne. There is luggage storage at Dijon station. I've used this tour company in the past and they are excellent. They do have a 2 person minimum.
https://wineandvoyages.com/
After tours they can drop you back at Dijon station for TGV to Paris. They do have space for some luggage in their vans, but traveling light will help. We took our bags on the tour, but each had a 21" carry-on typ and small back packs.

Thank you all for your insights - you have removed the trepidation I had and now understand much better where when and how we will see Switzerland and France in our limited time.
Thank you!
Peace
Kelly

This has been most helpful to date - just one more train trip I need and cannot seem to find the Golden Pass - need to go from Montreaux to Lauterbrunnen and was told I could use the special sight seeing train through the Alps - You even sent me the link to the Golden Pass but seems only to be a picture as I cannot click into it. You all have been extremely helpful to date - my itinerary is:
Arrive Geneva May 18 - once arrived I will purchase 2 rail tickets to Montreaux - we have first 2 nights there. Then I have one night booked in Lauterbrunnen - no train ticket yet and trying to figure out most scenic trip - if you can help me with link to book that ticket I would be very happy.
Just purchased tickets from Lauterbrunnen to Reims France - 2 nights booked there, then I also purchased tickets into France May 23 and stay at Paris Airport for final nights stay, then out in 10 am flight home to USA

I still need to book day of wineries in Reims which L'ideale (staying here 2 nights) was helpful with
1 day visit including the meal =>
https://www.reims-tourism.com/full-day-tour-champagne-3-small-producers/reims/op031cha051v505k88 - hope to book with them for the day though pricey at 190 Euro each, but includes 3 wineries and lunch - all Champagne tastings which wife will love!!
Thanks to you all for your generous help.
Kelly

You can use www.sbb.ch/en to book trains on the Golden Pass train. Just put in "from" Montreux and "to" Interlaken Ost, then "+VIA" Zweisimmen, your date of travel, and start time. Use 7:00 to see all the trains. Click "later trains" at the bottom to see more trains. Trains at 9:44, 11:44, 13:44, and 11:44 are the trains that have panorama cars. You change trains at Zweisimmen, and those trains have no panorama cars to Interlaken.

Click on the train departure time you want and you will be prompted through to the payment page. You can add seat reservations (5 CHF) per seat later. Only needed for the Montreux-Zweisimmen train as that is the only one with panorama cars.