Train travel

Yes, your ticket is good for travel to your destination on that day.

I have not traveled by train in Switzerland but I would caution you to look at your specific ticket and read the details of what you've purchased. In many countries I've traveled by train, I arrive in possession of a ticket for a specific seat on a specific train. If I get off before my stop, I would not have a ticket for the next train that comes along - I would have to buy one. Sometimes I have traveled on a pass that allows me to validate that pass for a ride on any train I choose.

Take a minute to look over what kind of ticket you have - the answer should be in your paperwork.

Switzerland is the exception to the rule. There is no discount for advance purchase of tickets, and no reservations needed. A ticket from Zürich to Lauterbrunnen is valid on any train on the date on the ticket (which is usually the day you buy it).
A train from Zürich to Lauterbrunnen involves going via Interlaken Ost and changing trains there, so there is nothing to stop you walking out of the station, and getting the following train to Lauterbrunnen one or two hours later.
You could get off at Interlaken West (the previous station), and walk through the town to Interlaken Ost. Plenty of tourists get of at Interlaken West by mistake.

If you were detouring and going by a longer route, you would have to buy two tickets (Zürich to xxx and xxx to Lauterbrunnen).

Thanks for the help!

Switzerland is the exception to the rule. There is no discount for
advance purchase of tickets, and no reservations needed. A ticket from
Zürich to Lauterbrunnen is valid on any train on the date on the
ticket (which is usually the day you buy it).

There are in fact Supersaver tickets available on this route that offer a discount of up to 50% and are restricted to a specific train. Accordingly depending on the ticket the OP buys, they may or may not be able to hop off and do some shopping.

My husband and I traveling through Switzerland by train last year and found it very easy. If you are going so far as Lauterbrunnen, I would highly recommend going a bit further on train, up the mountain to Wengen. It is incredibly beautiful there, near the waterfalls. We could have sworn it was all photo-shopped! Wengen is a very cute, out of the way village. We loved staying there.

-Lynn

I have a follow up question please. I am doing the exact same thing but going to Wengen. My wife and I also wanted to stop in Interlaken. We will have the Swill Rail pass. Is there somewhere or someplace we can store our luggage temporarily like a locker or something??? Thanks for your help!

Both Interlaken stations have lockers.

What did you anticipate doing in Interlaken?

Yes, exactly what do you think is in Interlaken that warrants you to interrupt your journey to the most beautiful destination you will ever see? The name Interlaken gets thrown around here as if it's some gorgeous destination in the Swiss Alps - it's not. It's a STOP on the way to the Swiss Alps. It has plenty of hotels and restaurants and trinket shops and McDonalds - but it is absolutely NOTHING compared to what you will see in Lauterbrunnen, Wengen and Murren.

Okay then! I will take your word for it and skip Interlaken. Thanks for the heads-up!

Concerning the suggestion to continue on the train to Wengen from Lauterbrunnen---can someone tell me a bit about this train? Is this a regular rail line? A cogwheel railway? My husband has some height issues and I have assured him we will not be on any cable cars, gondolas, or scary train rides! I would love to go up to Wengen from our base in Lauterbrunnen, but wonder just what the train ride will be like. We will be there in late April.

batkhanna,
"Wengen from Lauterbrunnen .... Is this a regular rail line? A cogwheel railway?" - Yes this is a regular railway line, in the sense that it has regular services and is the normal means of transport for locals as well as tourists. But it is also a cogwheel line, as are many of the lines in the Swiss Alps.

If your husband has issues with heights, he will have a problem in the Alps. Lauterbrunnen is at the bottom of a U-shaped valley. The side are nearly vertical , with waterfalls coming off the sides. Any place past Lauterbrunnen (Wengen up one side of the valley, Mürren on the other side) involves cable cars or cogwheel trains.

This map here sort of explains the situation: http://www.schlossoberhofen.ch/files/webcontent/Berner_Oberland.jpg

This is what the valley looks like from Lauterbrunnen (photo): https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Lauterbrunnen,_Bernese_Oberland.jpg
Mürren is on the right side, at the top of those waterfalls. Wengen is up the left side of the valley.

You take the train from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen all on train tracks on the ground, plus bridges of course. the train continues up to Kleine Scheidegg, where there is a connection to the train to the Jungfraujoch, mostly underground. The train from Wengen continues past Kleine Scheidegg and down the other side of the mountain to Grindelwald.
Going to Muerren from Lautrbrunnen will require cable cars.

Thank you, Chris and Sam for your quick replies. I knew I we would not be going any farther than Wengen, but now realize that we will stay in the valley and enjoy hikes along the river (stream?) and look for waterfalls.

Chris, what a fantastic map! I have been researching for months, and this is the best I've seen to show the elevations of railroads, etc. Do you happen to have a link to a similar map for the Zermatt area? We are to take a train from Basel to Zermatt, changing at Visp. Is the Visp to Zermatt section also a cogwheel train? Husband may just have to take a nap on that one!!

batkhanna,
Yes. here: http://www.matterhornparadise.ch/pdf/panoramakarten/panoramakarte_sommer.pdf
Or here: http://don-quijotes.com/gallery/others/map%20zermatt.jpg
Or if you want the winter version, here: http://www.matterhornparadise.ch/pdf/panoramakarten/panoramakarte_winter.pdf
Maps like this are very popular in Switzerland, you see them everywhere. They are produced by the tourist organisations.
I have even seen restaurants where the disposable paper place settings was one of these "panoramic maps".

Yes, there is (as far as I can remember) a short cogwheel section between Visp (which is down in the Rhone valley) and Zermatt, at a point where the side valley up to Zermatt is steeper than average.

P.S., just found this: http://www.zermatt.ch/en/arrival/Arrival-by-train
It says "Narrow-gauge and cog railway from Visp to Zermatt".

The train between Visp and Zermatt is in the bottom of a narrow valley for the most part. Nonetheless, there are some sections that are just too steep to climb without a rack system. When the train approaches, it will slow down and you will hear some clanking as the cogs engage the rack, then the train will pick up speed and smoothly climb up the hill. Buy one of those Toblerone candy bars to see what the rack looks like. Be sure to eat the candy bar. It's tasty. There is another nice (and pricey) rack train in Zermatt up to the Gornergrat Observatory with unparalleled views of the Matterhorn on clear days.

Just to reinforce that if your husband has problems with heights, you may not be so happy as I was, and others are, in the Berner Oberland. You will be limited to Lauterbrunnen and the valley floor (including the Trümmelbach Falls, although some parts of those may induce problems as well). The train up to Wengen is somewhat steeply inclined - you can see it from the station, so you can judge. But the way up to Gimmelwald and Mürren (forget about the Schilthornbahn!) is quite steep, and my sister-in-law couldn't even watch my videos taken from the cable car of the way up there!

If you do get off at Interlaken, there's a small Museum of Tourism that has exhibits on what earlier tourism in the region looked like. Otherwise, unless you need a casino, a sex shop, a large supermarket (there are smaller ones in Lauterbrunnen, Wengen, and Mürren), or a "Paksitani" restaurant (that's what the sign said, like Punxsutawney Phil from Groundhog Day), you don't need to stop in Interlaken. It is flat, however, which your husband will appreciate.

Luzern may be a better bet for your Switzerland time, as not only is the city flat, but you can take boats on the lake to see the mountains and hills nearby, without having to take cogwheel trains or cable cars up if you don't want to.