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	Links > Personal and Club Sites: updated 1 October 2014

LRTA Links: Personal and Club Sites

Sites developed by individuals or clubs with an interest in light rail, trams, metros, etc. Includes both contemporary and historically-oriented sites as well as photo galleries, fan-oriented newslines, and virtually any other kind of tram, light-rail, or urban transit related site.

Note: For personal or club sites devoted to a particular system, see the system of interest in the System Sites section. For sites consisting primarily of links to other sites, see the Link Collection Sites section.

Asia

• Tram Views Of Asia - Fascinating site, compiled from the collection of John Rossman, which uses early 20th century postcards and photographs to illustrate of the colonial era of tramways in the Middle East, the Far East (excluding Japan), Southeast Asia, and the Indian Subcontinent. Lots of caption detail and history information as well.

Brazil

• Light Rail in BRAZIL - Allen Morrison's sad tale of the attempts to create the "VLT" light rail lines in Rio de Janeiro and Campinas during the 1980's and '90s. Here is the complete history of each line from conception to eventual failure (with conversion to metro for one and closure for the other) plus all the details in between. There are also maps, vehicle details, bibliographic references, and plenty of photos (many taken by the author and some very rare indeed given the short life of the Campinas line).
• Santa Teresa Tramway - Complied by Allen Morrison. An illustrated survey of this Rio de Janeiro system and its history of over 120 years. Ten pages, 45 photographs and a link to a map.
• The Tramways of Brazil - The complete text of Allen Morrison's long out-of-print (since 1991) book surveying 130 years of Brazilian tramway history. The text includes a well-integrated history of tramway development throughout the country (from the first street railway in Rio de Janeiro in 1858 up through the late 1980's when then text was originally written and five systems were still running), a technical issues overview (gauges, rolling stock, current collection, traffic direction), plus details on the systems in over 100 Brazilian cities, towns, and villages. There's also an extensive bibliography. (Note: photos and maps from the book are not included.)

Canada

• All Time List of Canadian Transit Systems - Complied by David Wyatt, this site attempts to catalogue all public transit systems (of any mode) that have ever existed in Canada. The site is indexed by city, by urban area (i.e., including all cities within a metropolitan area), by operator name, and by mode (even to the level of "wilderness and gasoline tramways") with brief descriptions of each system (including operating dates, take-overs, etc.) and references to bibliographies materials and websites. There's also a photo gallery and, interestingly, a gallery of system logos, plus a catalogue of systems which were incorporated by never built. There's even a section on Canadian transit interests in systems abroad.
• Canadian Street Railways - David Wyatt's all time catalogue of tram, metro, and suburban rail systems with operating dates and power modes (e.g. animal, electric, diesel, etc.) and cross references to the authors All Time List of Canadian Transit Systems for more details.

Chile

• The Tramways Of Chile - The complete text of Allen Morrison's out-of-print (since 1995) book on the 65 different cities in Chile which had tramway systems (from as early as 1858 - the first in South America - to as late as 1978). The text includes a general history of tramways in Chile plus details (based on the author's extensive research) on each system, organized by region. There's also an extensive bibliography. (Note: photos and maps from the book are not included.)

Cuba

• Cuban Tram Stamps - In 2004 Cuba issued a marvelous set of stamps to commemorate the country's tramway heritage. Wonder where they got the images? Well, Allen Morrison knows... and this site reveals the illustrated details.
• The Cárdenas Electric Tramway - Webpage with history, photographs and a colorful map of the battery-powered tram system that operated between 1914 and 1929 in the hometown of Elián González. In English or Spanish.
• The Tramways of Cuba - Continuing in the tradition of the author's Tramways of Brazil and Tramways of Chile books (and websites), this new (as of August 2002) online "book" by Allen Morrison presents the most detailed look available anywhere at the history of the the tram and other urban passenger railways spread across the island. Organized geographically, there are features on each different railway company with detailed maps, plenty of period illustrations, and extensive bibliographies.

Europe

• eurotrams - Yahoo! Group devoted to tram pictures, old and new, from throughout Europe (including the UK). This is a restricted group, requires membership. It has 729 members when checked in September 2014.

Finland

• Finnish Tramway Society pages in English, with a link to Finnish pages.

France

• FACS - Federation of Friends of Local Railways - Site in French

Germany

• Bahnfreunde Rhein-Neckar-Pfalz e.V - Site for enthusiast group dedicated to the railways and tramways around Mannheim, Ludwigshafen, and Heidelberg (and who operated the museum in Viernheim until its closure in 1990) with a brief history of the club, meeting calendar, and illustrated reports of special events and projects. There's also a concise overview of railway and tramway operations in the region with details on each local system operator (including the RHB, OEG, VBL, HSB, and MVV-V). Coverage is rounded out with news, a photo galleries, their souvenir shop, a useful links collection, plus an overview of the former museum collection (12 trams from around Germany and Switzerland) as well as selected articles from their quarterly Bahnfreunde-Blaetti newsletter. In German or English (slightly less extensive).
• Berlin: Verkehr - Site devoted to information about all forms of public transit (including airports and roads) serving Berlin, with emphasis on local and suburban train, metro, and tram services. Organized by transit mode, each line or service is detailed (with current timetables, route, and station information, including connecting services and attractions - varying as applicable by mode). In German.
• Eisenbahnen im Berliner Raum - Site devoted to the operational history of all railways, including transit lines, within about 60 km of Berlin. Organized by primary use (main line, city and ring lines, private lines, industrial, suburban, metro, tram), the chronology of each undertaking is presented along with a station list or route details, some supplemented with contemporary photos. There's also a zoomable map appears to attempt to show every track and even platform within the region. In German.
• Verband Deutscher Verkehrs-Amateure - A blog for the VDVA (Federation of German Transit Enthusiasts) which was founded in 1956, to act as a super-regional organization to support the efforts of local transit enthusiast groups. Over the years, its official publication evolved into the widely respected Blickpunkt Straßenbahn magazine. In German.
• Verkehrsfreunde Stuttgart e.V. - The rail enthusiast group in Stuttgart that covers everything related to rail travel, whether it is in Stuttgart, elsewhere in Germany, or elsewhere in the world and whose site provides background on their aims and goals as well as membership information and details of their meetings and excursions. In German.
• www.lightrail.de - Dierk Nüchtern's site covering the trams of the Ruhr (and beyond) featuring overviews of about 10 systems in the region (plus more than 30 elsewhere in Germany and beyond) with current and past schematic maps, many with historical summaries, some with photos. In German with English versions of some pages.
• See Also:
  • System Sites - Germany - Freiburg - Freunde der Freiburger Straßenbahn e.V.
  • System Sites - Germany - Freiburg - Trams in Freiburg

Hungary

• Trams of Hungary and much more - Starting from an illustrated history of the tramways of Budapest, the site expands into a series of illustrated articles about specific Budapest tramway topics (such particular vehicle classes, the impacts of the Danube floods in August 2002, and the transport museum). There's also a special series on the city's "lost" tram routes that closed in the 1970s and 80s. Beyond coverage of the city, there are illustrated trip reports of visits to other Hungarian tram cities (Debrecen, Miskoloc, Szeged) plus about ten other cities scattered across Europe (including the UK). In English.

Japan

• Ichiban / Website For Railway Enthusiast - Galleries for the Iyo Railway (tram and lightrail in Matsuyama), Hiroshima Electric Railway (tram and light rail, with route maps, rider information, and brief history) plus summaries of other railways around Kansai and Tokyo (plus some in Korea and Europe). Also galleries of tickets, farecards, and children's' picture books plus a couple of screen savers. Several sections on tram and electric railway modelling and some railway news. In English.

Latin America

• Electric Transport in Latin America - Allen Morrison's extensive collection of information about tram, trolleybus, metro, and other electrically powered transit systems "south of the U.S.A.". Informational summaries about what's running today and what ran in the past. Special illustrated section on Trolleybus Pioneers with great old photos. The site also features more than 800 links, arranged geographically, to articles, photos, maps, postcards, and even newspaper stories - an incredible collection of resources for anyone interested in Latin American transit.
• Ferrolatino - Combined site for the Freunde Lateinamerikanischer Bahnen (FLB) (Association of Friends of Latin American Railways) and Asociación Internacional para el Fomento de los Ferrocarriles Latinoamericanos (AIFFLA), both based in Winterthur, Switzerland. AFFILA was formed in 1997 to lend the help of European railway professionals to Latin America's railroads on a voluntary basis while the FLB acts as both an enthusiast and lobbying group to support the cause of maintaining and improving the railways. The site details the various AFFILA/FLB projects (to aid in the reestablishment or preservation of passenger services) and provides other resources such a summary chart of current urban and suburban rail services in Latin America (plus similar charts on the funiculars of Chile and Rio de Janeiro). There also articles (such on the Rosario tram) and trip reports plus the most recent issue of their joint Volta o Trem newsletter. In German or English.

Mexico

• Tramways of Mexico - In the tradition of Allen Morrison's Tramways of Chile and Tramways of Brazil books, and Tramways of Cuba website, this new (as of February 2003) work provides the same detailed history, with custom maps and vintage photo views, for the fifteen electric tramway systems which dotted the country at one time or another (but which have all since disappeared). As always, detailed bibliographic references are included as well.

North America

• All Time List of North American Trolleybus Systems - Based on information from Trolleybus Bulletin No 109: Databook II published in March 1979 by the now defunct North American Trackless Trolley Association (NATTA), David Anthony Wyatt presents the opening and closing dates as well as roster summary for the more than 100 systems that have existed at one time or another in Canada, Mexico, and the US. There's also a corresponding list (from the same source) of North American Trolleybus Makers with their years of production. The Canadian systems are also cross-referenced to the author's All Time List of Canadian Transit Systems for more details.
• Light Rail Central - A site with lots and lots of links and photos.
• North American Vintage Trolley Systems - Site within the Railway Preservation Resources website which covers the varioius heritage tram operations (not museum operations) in the US and Canada (including, for example, the Tampa Electric Streetcar, the Kenosha Transit Electric Streetcar, the Old Pueblo Trolley in Tucson, and about 18 others - which more coverage planned). Illustrated overview of each system with news, bibliographies, links, and more. There's also a special section on replica trolley cars from 1984 to the present.
• Railroadinfo.com - Railroad news, information, and photo site featuring news releases, photo galleries (somewhat randomly organized but including transit topics as diverse as vintage Brooklyn PCCs, Seattle's Waterfront trolley, and the Seashore Trolley Museum), discussion forums (on railroading, rail travel, model railroading, and live steam), and an extensive link directory - described elsewhere - and more.
• Transit Mode Nomenclature - David Anthony Wyatt's personal attempt to define and categorize terms such as light rail transit, heavy rail transit, commuter rail, people mover, heritage trolley, and electric trolley bus based on typical North American usage (with aliases and examples, including those confusing cases that are often hard to categorize ). Extremely useful and well thought out.

Russia and Former USSR

• MetaSubway - An informative site with overviews of each subway "in the former USSR (i.e., in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakstan), both existing or under construction." Sections on individual systems vary in length and detail, most have maps, some have histories. There is also an extensive section on Electric Transit in the former USSR (only in Russian) and don't miss the Picture Gallery of Subways, Trams and Funiculars. Home page in both Russian and English, some sections only in Russian, some mostly in English.
• Russian Subway, Railway, and Tram Maps - More than 40 tram, subway, and trolleybus maps (out of about 130 maps as of August 2002) covering cites all across Russia (and a few other places). Often includes different maps of the same system from different sources and sometimes in different languages. In English or Russian.

Spain

• Assotram - Historical information (and current news) about the tramways and trolleybuses of Barcelona and the rest of Catalonia. In Catalan and link for Google translation to English.

Switzerland

• See Also:
  • System Sites - Switzerland - Bern - Tramverein Bern (TVB)
  • System Sites - Switzerland - Zürich - Trams of Zürich

Turkey

• Trains of Turkey - "A Site For Turkish Railways Enthusiast" with everything from current operations to history, musuems, infrastructure, and more. Of particular interest is the section on "Light rail and subways in Turkey" which provides an overview (with statistics, often by line) for each city's operational (or planned) tram, light rail, and metro systems. Also of particular interest are some of the maps (such as Istanbul's tram system in 1920 and in 1925).

United Kingdom

• British Trams Online - Site devoted to the latest news and features from Britain's tramway and light rail systems with news reports (from various sources), detailed fleet lists for a number of systems.
• Colin Seymour's Tram Photos & Information - Comprehensive site covering most UK operational and museum lines, as well as some closed systems.
• David Bradley Online - A fascinating, in depth, collection of historical transport scenes, primarily trolleybuses, but also including trams. While it superficially appears limited to the Croydon area, most corners of the UK trolleybus and tram scenes get significant coverage as well. Many of the photos were taken by the author in the late 1950s while others are from a variety of sources. Some contemporary shots and a number of guest galleries are also included. And, perhaps best of all, everything is captioned in detail. Click "Some Tram Pictures" to get to the Tramlink Picture Gallery and from there you can then get to the historical galleries for Blackpool, Glasgow, Hill of Howth, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Sheffield, and the early days of the Crich Tramway Village as well.
• Festival of Model Tramways - Official site.
  Service Advisory: Site is actually part of the Tramway Information site so see that site's description for details
• Lancastrian Transport Trust - Committed to the preservation of the range of vehicles that represent the development of public transport in Blackpool, the Fylde and other parts of Lancashire, the trust publishes its quarterly In Trust magazine covering news and features about the trust and its collection (mostly historic buses but also including Blackpool tram 304 which is currently undergoing restoration).
• London Trams: construction of a conduit tramway - Site by Dewi Williams. Fascinating information and photos of the London conduit system.
• londonfuturetransport - Yahoo! Group devoted to discussion of future transport projects (tram, bus, railway, etc.) in London. Generally covers proposed plans and current event related to those plans. Founded in September 2000, the group has about 117 members. (Requires free Yahoo! Groups membership to access all features.)
• Merseyside Tramway Preservation Society - Founded in 1960, the goal of the Society is to document and preserve the tramway heritage of Liverpool and the North West which it does, in part, by helping operate the Birkenhead Heritage Tramway. The site details their collection of five historic trams (from Birkenhead, Liverpool, and Wallasey) plus news of their on-going restoration efforts and other activities. There is also an order page for related books, videos (including one on the tramway), and other sundries.
• Norbury & South London Transport Club - Formed in 1935, the club prides itself on covering all aspects of public transport and acts as organizer for the bi-ennial Transport and Model Railway Exhibitions in Croydon. Whether it's the history or modern development of "trains, railway architecture, buses, trams, canals, shipping, aircraft or traction engines" worldwide, the club has something for you. Their bi-monthly magazine focusing on transport in South London has been published since 1949. Meetings most Tuesdays near East Croydon Station.
• Sheffield Trams Picture Gallery - An extensively captioned collection of more than 25 historic photos taken by David Bradley prior to the demise of tramway service in 1960. The numbering of the pictures implies that more are in the author's collection than are on available the site.
• Southern Electric Group - Devoted to 750V DC 3rd rail supply lines in South East England.
• TheTrams.co.uk - Peter Courtenay's site devoted to coverage of Nottingham Express Transit, Midland Metro, Sheffield Supertram, Metrolink, Croydon Tramlink, Blackpool trams, Docklands Light Railway, and Tyne and Wear metro... with photos, maps, route details, system descriptions, vehicle details, and more. There's also a nice overview of modern tramway developments in the UK (with relationship map and comparative statistics). Last update appears to be in March 2009
• Tramway and Light Railway Society - Official site.
  Service Advisory: Site is actually part of the Tramway Information site so see that site's description for details
• Tramway Information - Essentially three sites in one. The first is devoted to coverage of the Festival of Model Tramways with everything you need to know about Europe's premier event for the model tram enthusiast which has been held annually since 1988 at different locations around the UK (plus illustrated reviews earlier festivals back to 1998). The second is devoted to the Tramway and Light Railway Society (founded in 1938) with information about the society's goals, resources available to members (including their bi-monthly Tramfare magazine), and access to their online book and model sales departments. And the third is a collection of special feature sections on tramway webcams, tramway postcards, tramway modelling, historical lists of Britsh and French tramways, British tramways today, London's historic trolleybus system, and a gallery of tramways around the world.
• Transport of Delight - John Bradshaw's site featuring photo galleries and a searchable database of more than 2000 web links (as of December 2000) covering all forms of transit (even rollercosters)! The galleries include Croydon Tramlink (with before and after photos), London Transport, assorted British Rail subjects (including Southern Electric), other UK subjects (including Midland Metro, Sheffield's last tram week in 1960, and several museums), and several North American systems (including San Francisco, Toronto, Vancouver, New Orleans, and the no-longer-operating Grand Cypress Resort tramway in Orlando). There is also a nicely illustrated history of the Woodside & South Croydon Railway (which became part of Tramlink).

United States

• The Birney Car - On-line facsimile of Harold Cox's long out-of-print book (originally published in 1966) that covers "the development of the single-truck one-man safety car" that came into broad use in America after its development in 1915. There's a nicely illustrated introduction which details how such cars came to be, the numerous different companies that built them, and both the good and the bad of operating them. That is followed by extremely detailed historial roster tables, organized by operator, of all known such cars in the US, Canada, and beyond.
  Service Advisory: Each page is presented as a scanned image from the original book and thus may be somewhat slow to load.
  Also links to other Streetcarbooks by Harold Cox.
• Central Electric Railfans' Association - CERA, based in Chicago,  was formed in 1938 to encourage study of the history, equipment, and operation of urban, suburban, and mainline electric railways. They are also well known for their well-researched books ("Bulletins") covering the histories of tram systems in the American Midwest and beyond (as well as other tram and light rail related topics). Site provides a complete catalog of all books published plus information about meetings (including future program topics and how to get there from the CTA "L"), inspection (fan) trips, and membership.
• Dave's Electric Railroads - Updated regularly, the site features over 16000 pictures of "electric railroad, interurban, streetcar (and a few trolley coaches)" covering many eras, primarily from systems and museums in the US (as well as some from Canada, Cuba, and Mexico). Pictures are grouped by state (province or country) and then by system. Many historical photos from more obscure systems (such as Honolulu Rapid Transit and the Flint Trolley Coach Company) and traction models as well.
• Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California - Founded in 1950, the Association's site correctly bills itself as "a guide to the electric traction heritage of the Los Angeles Region" by presenting detailed histories (some illustrated) of more than 45 different tram (and horse car and cable car and light rail) companies which have operated in greater Los Angeles from 1873 to the present. They are also in the process of placing the entire 50+ year archive of their Timepoints newsletter/magazine on the site (with selected issues, primarily from the 1950s and 1990s, available when checked in January 2003). The site also has membership and meeting information, an online store (with models, books, videos, gifts related to the Pacific Electric, LA Railway, and the ERHA itself), and even an colour chart of various historical vehicle paint schemes. (Some features require an audio player.)
  Service Advisory: Site navigation can be confusing... most photos and headers on the main page are non-obvious links to the various portions of the site.
• Jon Bell's Rail Transit Pages - Galleries of more than 30 "subway, rapid transit, streetcar, light rail, trolleybus, and peoplemover" systems visited by Jon (mostly in the US). Indexed by both city and transit technology (which also lists some systems not yet in the galleries), each includes photos plus a descriptive overview and links to maps (some created by the author), the system operator, and other related websites. There's also a gallery of tickets as well as collection of links with some delightfully obscure entries.
• LightRail_Now - Formed March 2001; Yahoo! group devoted to open discussion by light rail advocates around the United States (and to acting as an information source for those seeking information about light rail). Messages are text only (no photos or other attachments) and focus on events and news reports from around the US. (Requires free Yahoo! Groups membership to access all features.)
• Main Street - Jonathan Smith's personal homepage. Visit The Terminal for information about his transit-related interests including the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad's collection of several classic Iowa trolleys (including restored Charles City & Western 50) and electric locomotives from the Kennecott Copper Company operations in Utah.

Worldwide

• Kavanagh Transit System - Mark Kavanagh's collection of more than 450 transit photos (and more than 50 other rail photos) from North America, Europe, and Asia (with system overviews) plus a section on tokens and farecards, one of travel notes from Mike's various trips, and a large collection of links.
• Rail and Trolleybus Transit Cities - Maintained by David Wyatt, this site complements LRTA's own World Systems List by providing another view of the world's tram, metro, light rail, suburban rail, trollleybus, and people mover systems. Organized by country and city,it briefly summaries the operating mode(s) and opening date(s). Site version is dated August 2001.
• Railway Technology - An information-oriented site which correctly bills itself as "The Website for the Railway Industry." Lots of exhibition and conference information, contact information for railway industry companies worldwide, illustrated overviews of hundreds of railway industry suppliers and their product lines. There are also illustrated overviews of many railway, metro, and light rail projects in development (or under construction) around the world. In some cases, these overviews provide the best information available on the web for a number of interesting projects (such as the Mandalay Bay hotel Cable Liner shuttle in Las Vegas and the Port Louis Parry People Mover Light Rail System in Mauritius). Each project overview also has cross references to the project's approved suppliers. Sister site to Urban Transport Technology.
• Ron's World Tram Site - Catalog of operating and closed tram systems illustrated with photos taken by Ron Smith on his travels around the globe. And, as a site within a site, marvellous coverage of the Liverpool tramways with an illustrated account of the last day of service in 1957, extensive fleet details (large file), and bibliographic list of reference sources.
• StadtverkehrOnline - Features listings and basic information, including route descriptions, for many tram and metro systems. In German.
• The Cable Car Guy - Joe Thompson's "site about cable cars (also known as cable tramways) all over the world" with an illustrated description of how cable cars work (and what makes them different from other types of public transit), the history of their development, and a world-wide list of all cable car systems that have ever been (many with their own detailed historic profiles). There's also a special chronology of San Francisco's cable car system from 1869 to date, a "who's who" of notable people involved with cable cars over the years, a section on cable car collectables (everything from transfers and stamps to toys and magazine ads... even fruit crate labels), coverage of "cable cars in literature", and a library of articles that includes transcribed newpaper stories dating as far back as 1854!
• The Subway Page - Rorbert Reynolds' site primarily known for its extensive collection of links to current and past maps. It also has links to subway route navigation aids, city transit guides, personal sites, museums, books, images, and other people's collections of map links as well - more than 250 more links. But what makes this more than just a link collection site are the scanned copies of more than 50 actual maps the personal collections of Robert and others (with many being from the 1970's and 80's) - even including Paris in 1940!
• Tramcars, Tracks and Terminii {Temporarily suspended September 2014}- Andrew Moglestue's site devoted to the trams of the cities he knows best. Besides his Trams of Zürich and Trams in Freiburg "sites-within-the-site", and an interesting collection of links, there's a well-captioned photo gallery of trams around the world (primarily in Europe but also including Uruguay) with both contemporary as well as historical and postcard series views.
• Tramways.com - Leif Spångberg's collection of over 5,000 pictures of trams and other transport modes. Particularly strong coverage of Scandinavia plus Estonia, Russia, Hungry, other parts of Eastern and Western Europe plus North America. Also a great source for links.
• Transport Ticket Society - Founded as the Ticket & Fare Collection Society in 1946 and merged with the International Society of Transport Ticket Collectors in 1963, the Society prides itself in being the foremost resource for all collectors of tickets, tokens, and fare collection equipment worldwide. Their site provides background on the Society (including meeting schedule and membership information), their monthly Journal magazine (and other publications), as well as ticket exchange and purchase opportunities (including monthly ticket distributions and their periodic London Ticket Meet).
• UrbanMaglev - Yahoo! group devoted to discussion of "low speed" maglev (magnetic levitation) systems designed for urban transport use (as opposed to inter-city use). Yahoo! groups membership and approval of the group moderator is required to access messages.)
• UrbanRail.Net - Successor to the ever popular MetroPlanet site which takes you on a ride on the world's subway, underground, metro, tunnelbana, U-Bahn and other urban mass transit systems in over 120 cites. A virtual atlas of the world's metro systems with Individual pages for each city/system with custom-drawn maps, photos, links, historical summary of line openings as well as future plans. Plenty of news reports (often with maps and photos) plus the author Robert Schwandl's own gallery of photos.
• Urban Transport Technology - Sister site to the Railway Technology site with emphasis urban rail, road, bridge, tunnel, and integrated transport projects. The contents of the two sites differ but the urban rail category here overlaps the light rail and metro categories on the Railway Technology site.
• www.subways.net - Dan Weissmann's collection of metro and light rail links worldwide (organized in several different ways, with search capability) plus feature pages (with varying content but usually basic facts and photos) on more than two dozen systems.

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