Alpine scenic train ride recommendations?

I'd like to take a 2-day scenic, possibly lengthy Alpine rail excursion
(self-guided, not a commercial tour) in Switzerland the second week in
December with the following boundary conditions:

--Leave Zurich Hbf noon Saturday (can't get away earlier)
--Scenic train journey, possibly lengthy; stay overnight
somewhere way up high.
--More Alpine train riding on Sunday.
--Arrive (still by rail) at the Frankfurt Flughafen Sunday evening
(to stay in the airport hotel and fly home the next morning).

I can plan such a trip for myself, since I know Switzerland pretty well,
having lived there for a year in 1969 during which I traveled to
Grindelwald, the Eiger, Davos, Brig, Zermatt, Schwyz, Linthal, the
Titlis, Santis, Andermatt, etc, etc. -- und Ich fahre gerne mit dem
Bahn, und kann ein bischen Deutsch lesen

But I'd still appreciate suggestions for a good route for this
excursion, and a good choice for the overnight stop.

AES writes:

I'd like to take a 2-day scenic, possibly lengthy Alpine rail excursion
(self-guided, not a commercial tour) in Switzerland the second week in
December with the following boundary conditions:

--Leave Zurich Hbf noon Saturday (can't get away earlier)
--Scenic train journey, possibly lengthy; stay overnight
somewhere way up high.
--More Alpine train riding on Sunday.
--Arrive (still by rail) at the Frankfurt Flughafen Sunday evening
(to stay in the airport hotel and fly home the next morning).

Try this:

Zurich dep 12:00, change in Visp, Zermatt arr 15:14

Zermatt dep 9:48 on Glacier Express, Chur arr 15:40
Chur dep. 16:09, change in Basel, Frankfurt Fl. arr 22:06

MJ

But I'd still appreciate suggestions for a good route for this
excursion, and a good choice for the overnight stop.

I cannot comment on your "boundary conditions" but you should work it
out yourself with a railway timetable (I personally like this alternate
interface to the German railway site which I use for all Europe
http://home.arcor.de/e.lauterbach/au...planx-en.html).

I can just tell some alpine train trips I did (but my boundary
conditions were different, I decided to make base in Luzern and return
there to sleep, or, sometimes travel through Switzerland on my way from
Milan to Ulm or back). Also I did this in late summer or spring.

A classical trip is Luzern to Interlaken (not so alpine but pleasant)
continuing up to the Jungfrau (could be expensive without a pass).

Another trip we did was Luzern to Goschenen, up to Andermatt and then
down to Chur via Disentis (upper Rhine valley). Back to Luzern "in the
plain".

Another one was again Luzern to Goschenen, up to Andermatt then to Brig
(included a stopver with a bus detour to the Rhone Gletscher). From Brig
we returned via the Lotschberg line.

Maybe you could combine those two (Zurich-Chur-Disentis-Andermatt, stop
there and close the loop the next day).

Other nice stretches are Chur-Filisur-Pontresina-Bernina or
Bad Ragaz-Davos-Filisur-Pontresina-Bernina ... typically I'll then
continue to Tirano and Milan on my way back from Ulm.

Though not alpine, I liked also the line from Arth Goldau to St Gallen
(in spring, train across flowered meadows), which I did on my way to the
ferry in Romanshorn when going Milan to Ulm.

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