A curious artifact and remnant of the railway that once crossed the road at this location. Everything else about the railway crossing has long gone but over 50 years after the railway was closed and removed, a solitary gate (and part of its companion across the road) stands forlornly on the side of the road.
Over on the other side of the road, Dryslwyn Station's platform can still be clearly seen, now subsumed into a private dwelling's garden (the original station house). The curious circular plate in the front garden covers a very deep well.
The line was originally built by the Llanelly Railway & Dock Company; Goods services between Llandeilo and Abergwili Junction began in November 1864, followed by a passenger service on 1 June 1865.
Several companies operated the line during its active life but for the most of its time, it was operated by the Great Western Railway (GWR).
With the onset of Nationalisation, it wasn't long before the Beeching axe made its way to this picturesque valley and on 9th September 1963 the line closed to both passenger and goods traffic.
As well as the station that can be be observed at this location, there were five other stations along the stretch that ran from Carmarthen to Llandeilo: Abergwili, Nantgaredig, Llanarthney, Dryslwyn (here), Golden Grove and Llandeilo Bridge.
On its Western end, the line joined with the Abergwili branch of the Carmarthen & Cardigan Railway that ran services from Carmarthen into rural mid-Wales and then in parallel with it into Carmarthen where it would have joined with today's bustling West Wales line. On the Eastern end at LLandeilo it joined with what is known today as the Heart of Wales Line, a sleepy railway that runs from Llanelli to Craven Arms (though almost all passenger services on this line today run between Swansea and Shrewsbury).
For more reading information, a map and some pictures, see here.
Signal was a little erratic when EP placed the cache probably due to the torrential rain that was falling at the time. To be honest the hide location is pretty obvious...
