The Little Train Club

About 400 people are members of a gondola lift fan club. You don't see that very often.

A mountain railway with its own fan club—that might sound like a curiosity, but it’s the reason this railway still exists. The Bähnliclub raises money, pitches in, and makes sure that things get done at Wasserfallen that wouldn’t be possible within the regular budget.

Why the Club Exists

The Reigoldswil–Wasserfallen aerial tramway is not owned by a corporation but by a nonprofit foundation—a rarity in Switzerland.

The story dates back to the 1990s. At that time, the old railway was in urgent need of funds for technical upgrades, and Autobus AG Liestal, its owner at the time, was no longer willing to cover the cost on its own. Instead of shutting down the cable car, it donated it to the public: in 1995, the Reigoldswil–Wasserfallen Cable Car Foundation was established. Since then, the foundation’s board has included the Canton of Basel-Landschaft, the municipality of Reigoldswil, the Association of Mayors of Basel-Landschaft, Autobus AG Liestal, the Wasserfallen Foundation—and the Bähnliclub.

The club was founded as a support association for this foundation. From the very beginning, its mission was to make possible what the railway alone could not achieve. During the new construction project in 2006, the club organized a fundraising campaign in the villages of the region; of the 11 million francs raised, 8.5 million came from membership dues, sponsorships, and donations.

→ Learn more about the history of the Wasserfallenbahn

What the Club Does

The Bähnli Club does not fund ropes or motors. It funds the things that make the experience up there special—the things that don’t have a place in a mountain railway’s regular budget.

Among other things, the club has made the following possible:

the adventure playground near the mountain station, featuring a climbing tower, a toboggan tower, a slide, swings, and a picnic platform
the roof of the Heidi-Stübli restaurant
the fondue hut at the Heidi-Stübli, where people eat in the winter
a large portion of the furniture in the Heidi-Stübli
the renovation of the road from the pond to the mountain station

That’s the spectrum: from the slide where children spend half the afternoon to the road used to transport goods and materials up the mountain. The visible and the invisible. Both are important for the continued development of the Wasserfallen region.

So whether you’re sitting with your children at the playground or in a fondue hut in the winter: About 400 people have made this possible with their annual dues.

Your Membership

Membership costs thirty francs a year. Along with your invitation to the general meeting, you’ll receive two free rides—worth CHF 52.

Go ahead and do the math: Your membership paid for itself before you even attended your first club event.

Here’s what you’ll get:

Two free rides per year, along with an invitation to the annual general meeting—valued at CHF 52
Club events at attractive prices, such as a fondue party with music in the winter
Invitation to the Annual General Meeting, held once a year
One vote in an association that is represented on the railroad’s board of trustees and participates in decision-making there

And the best part is: Your contribution doesn’t just disappear into a fund. It turns into a slide, a roof, or a fondue hut.

Annual membership fee

Individual Members	CHF 30
Families and Companies	CHF 50

Bähnliclub Registration Form

The Friends of the Reigoldswil–Wasserfallen Aerial Tramway, with approximately 400 members. It provides financial support to the nonprofit LRW Foundation and is represented on its board of trustees.

CHF 30.– per year for individual members, CHF 50.– for families and companies.

Two free rides per year, worth CHF 52, which you’ll receive along with your invitation to the General Meeting. Plus, club events at attractive prices—such as the winter fondue party with music—and a vote in an association that helps make decisions on the railway’s Board of Trustees. With an annual membership fee of CHF 30, the free rides alone cover the cost of membership.

Because the former owner, Autobus AG Liestal, was no longer willing to finance the necessary renovations on its own in the 1990s. Rather than shut down the railway, it transferred it to a nonprofit foundation in 1995.

The Canton of Basel-Landschaft, the municipality of Reigoldswil, the Association of Mayors of Basel-Landschaft, Autobus AG Liestal, the Wasserfallen Foundation, and the Bähnliclub.