Llandybie Station with signal box and gates.

During the 1960s, and with the introduction of Dr. Beeching as G2heral Manager of British Rail, the Central Wales line was under heavy pressure to close. Owing to public pressure and support oflocal authorities the line is still open, but unfortunately the line was run down and became classified as a light railway from Pantyffynnon to Craven Arms, with the result that 95% of signal boxes were closed and station-graded into the classification of Station Halts. Trains were to be stopped on request, and guards to issue tickets to the travelling public. With the introduction of open crossings on roadways, there were no station staff, no signalmen ete., and track maintenance was covered by fewer men with more mileage to maintain.

Trains per day during the 1940    5 G.W.R. Passenger Trains L.M. S. Passenger Trains
= 22 Passenger Trains
Freight: approximately 1 every hour of the 24 hours. Sunday: nil; only special and engineering trains and one milk train, which ceased when the Ffairfach-Llangadog road transport opened.
Trains per day during 1990
British Rail Passenger
Freight Nil
One extra passenger train up-down Saturday during the summer.
Revenue
The main revenue received at Llandybie Station was from the local quarry
(i.e. Cilyrychen Quarry), coal merchants, fish, the parcels and mail and the
sawmills. .
With the increase in road transport and the decline in use of the railways, plus the closure of the local colliery and the two sawmills, the sorting of mail at Llandybie Post Office and the parcels and coal merchants business was transferred to Ammanford. AllIed to the closure of the station as w,e knew it.

HISTORICAL

Brynmarlais Level Crossing or Mackay's Crossing
The official name of the crossing known as Mackay's is Brynmarlais Level Crossing. The name Mackay came about from a Mrs. Michael, whose maiden surname was Miss Mackay, and whose father and grandfather had manned this crossing for more years than I can recall. So hence the name Mackay's.