150 years Appenzell Railways

In the year of the founding of Appenzell Railways, Switzerland’s first narrow-gauge railway tunnel is built between Herisau and Winkeln. This is followed by numerous other achievements: in 1889, for example, the world’s tightest rack rail bend is used with a steam locomotive built specifically for it. Switzerland’s first narrow-gauge mail car with a post office follows a year after that. Later, Appenzell Railways has Switzerland’s longest narrow-gauge vehicle and the world’s first dining car with a roof-mounted pantograph. The company is also the first Swiss railway to install enclosed toilets in its passenger carriages. Today, the company operates six lines in the cantons of Appenzell lnnerrhoden, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, St. Gallen and Thurgau. The team of 240 employees carries some 6.5 million people every year.