50 Francs Crocodile locomotive

The "Crocodile" designation refers to the Ce 6/8 II electric locomotive introduced by the Swiss Federal Railways in 1919, nicknamed for its articulated low-slung body and protruding motor housings. Swissmint issued this coin as part of a centennial recognition of Swiss railway electrification, a deliberate national infrastructure push driven in part by coal shortages during and after World War I — Switzerland, lacking domestic coal reserves, had every incentive to convert its rail network to hydroelectric power faster than any other European nation.