william h sim stewarton can anyone remember them tippers and feed low loaders 
they also owned craigie hill quarry kilmarnock, ran a fleet of leyland,scania,mercedes,bedford,marguis duetz,went under 1982 ,red and blue fleet any info please,
davie t:
they also owned craigie hill quarry kilmarnock, ran a fleet of leyland,scania,mercedes,bedford,marguis duetz,went under 1982 ,red and blue fleet any info please,
My father drove for them for many years and I spent many childhood holidays in the cab
They also ran Ellonton Quarry near Symington. Bought Craigie Quarry just before the Hunterston Iron Ore terminla was constructed - I think.
They also had a couple of tippers that ran mainly draff from distelleries from Port Dundas in Glasgow to Edinburgh and Alloa.
They also operated a earthworks side called Power Shovels Ltd and both Power shovels and William Sim (Stewarton) Ltd operated out of their yard off Holm Street in Stewarton - now a housing development.
As you said they operated 4 wheel bedford tippers before adding a couple of 4 wheel Scanias then moved onto 6 wheelers starting with Ford D2418s, Leyland Bisons, Mercedes 2419s and Maggie 6 wheel dumpers.
A few of the other Ayrshire tipper fleets of that time were : McEwans of Galston, Cunningham of Galston,
■■■■ of Darvel, R&A Muir to name but a few.
If I can help you with any names, fleet details I can just remember a few!!
erfguy:
Is this the same William Sim I think the photo is from Bill Reid’s collection. Eddie
Yes this is the same firm. I forwarded this photograph to both Bill and Brian Edgar- I was searching for photographs and was forwarded this from a lady in Stewarton. Its of a Scania 80 Reg OSD122H, it was one of a pair, the other was PCS97H, both went on the road on the same day. These were the only two scania tippers on the fleet, the other two were artics pulling lowloaders, moving the Power Shovels plant about. - when I first went with my father, the firm had an old Scammell Highwayman(?) and a Scania Vabis LB model.
The main colours of the lorry were red with a light blue section around the winscreen level. These colours were used right up until the firm closed.
Roadman1:
davie t:
they also owned craigie hill quarry kilmarnock, ran a fleet of leyland,scania,mercedes,bedford,marguis duetz,went under 1982 ,red and blue fleet any info please,My father drove for them for many years and I spent many childhood holidays in the cab
They also ran Ellonton Quarry near Symington. Bought Craigie Quarry just before the Hunterston Iron Ore terminla was constructed - I think.They also had a couple of tippers that ran mainly draff from distelleries from Port Dundas in Glasgow to Edinburgh and Alloa.
They also operated a earthworks side called Power Shovels Ltd and both Power shovels and William Sim (Stewarton) Ltd operated out of their yard off Holm Street in Stewarton - now a housing development.
As you said they operated 4 wheel bedford tippers before adding a couple of 4 wheel Scanias then moved onto 6 wheelers starting with Ford D2418s, Leyland Bisons, Mercedes 2419s and Maggie 6 wheel dumpers.
A few of the other Ayrshire tipper fleets of that time were : McEwans of Galston, Cunningham of Galston,
■■■■ of Darvel, R&A Muir to name but a few.If I can help you with any names, fleet details I can just remember a few!!
I work with a man who used to drive for mcewan of galston,heard him mention sim of stewarton.he still stays in galston.
Hi Roadman 1
This is the Old Scammell Highwayman Sim of Stewarton had it was new to Rowallan Creameries Kilmarnock then i had it for a few Years. If you would like to see it as it is Today , go into Classic Commercial Motor Vehicles Home Page and search HCS639E.
Ben.
Ben Walker, That is a fantastic photo ,never seen such a clean and tidy ,lorry ,Yours Barry
Hi Barry
Thanks for the Comment ,always liked to keep it clean.
Ben.
ben walker:
Hi Barry
Thanks for the Comment ,always liked to keep it clean.Ben.
Hi Ben.
Last time I saw it, it was in Sims colours looking old and jaded. What a difference a little bit of TLC and, no doubt, a fair bit of money makes.
Well done.
Alistair
jf1970:
Roadman1:
davie t:
they also owned craigie hill quarry kilmarnock, ran a fleet of leyland,scania,mercedes,bedford,marguis duetz,went under 1982 ,red and blue fleet any info please,My father drove for them for many years and I spent many childhood holidays in the cab
They also ran Ellonton Quarry near Symington. Bought Craigie Quarry just before the Hunterston Iron Ore terminla was constructed - I think.They also had a couple of tippers that ran mainly draff from distelleries from Port Dundas in Glasgow to Edinburgh and Alloa.
They also operated a earthworks side called Power Shovels Ltd and both Power shovels and William Sim (Stewarton) Ltd operated out of their yard off Holm Street in Stewarton - now a housing development.
As you said they operated 4 wheel bedford tippers before adding a couple of 4 wheel Scanias then moved onto 6 wheelers starting with Ford D2418s, Leyland Bisons, Mercedes 2419s and Maggie 6 wheel dumpers.
A few of the other Ayrshire tipper fleets of that time were : McEwans of Galston, Cunningham of Galston,
■■■■ of Darvel, R&A Muir to name but a few.If I can help you with any names, fleet details I can just remember a few!!
I work with a man who used to drive for mcewan of galston,heard him mention sim of stewarton.he still stays in galston.
If I remember right, they operated Scammell Routeman 8 wheelers and possibly a Leyland Octopus. Ran in two tone blue, mainly light blue with with darker highlights. Although, I must point out that I am colour blind!!
roadman thanks for your reply as to spent all availble time in the cab with my grandfather davie stevenson on draff mainly, he had leyland bison tag426m,laughed my socks offgoing to stirling to load at 72mph untill we hit a hill,then draff went quiet he got one of the maggies ncs607pbetter for me to sleep in , remember drivers alec chapman,ian (jock) carswell,tam kelly,ivan, and the fitter beano,had a brill time as a kid sad it closed during recessation love it if there was any more photos scearched for ages,who was your dad
hi davie.
My father was Alistair Millar. He drove your dad’s bison TAG 426M for two years from new before moving onto a second hand Mercedes LP2419, reg BSA 383N -it had the older style of cab whereas the others all had the new cab.
Try some of these names -
Other drivers : Addie McKie, Dan Armour, Kenny McLeod, the Rankin(e) bothers from Dunlop - one drove the platform the other a maggie and I think it was the one with the tipper box not the dumper style like the other three. There was also a guy called Farquharson.
Mechanis : Joe Nelson, Malcolm ? an english guy.
Engineers : Andrew Clark, Adam McLelland, Ian Smith.
Power Shovel : Sam Dicks (Leibherr 921) Mick and Charlie Gallacher (Cat 955K and 941B)
I had a few but lost them when moving house. If they turn up, I’ll stick them on.
My father drove with them until about the last week before he moved onto one of Jas McKinnon Jnr Bison bulkers.
thanks for the reply,your dad was he referred to as big alistair ? if it was can remember u riding with him,there way a machine driver from irvine who used to do coach trips on a weekend, the platform was a 4 wheeler on feed if i remember correctly, the maggie had a coal bulker body on it can you remember pop from beith always drunk day morning noon and night , i looked on a site for stewarton the bonnet town, and theres some pictures of sim trucks on there with old addie merc and a bison in the background thanks brought back a good memories . my uncle drove there ashort while douglas stevenson from galston left and when to mcewgan at galston .farguharson also used to take his son, me i was totally miffed when it shut my papa had only done 3 weeks back after having been off sick for 8 months then the place was dissolved ,he worked on sand haulage down near troon for a while then retired ,passed away 1999, hows your dad he must of retired i think your older than me iam 43 regards davie
hi davie.
Yeah my dad was known as “big Alistair”. He had worked for Sims since the late 60s, first at their old yard up in the centre of the town then down at the new yard, off Holm Street. Left Sim not long before it closed and went to Mackinnons in Kilmarnock driving bulk feeders.
He too, passed away in the late 90s.
As you said, I’m just slightly older than you, its the big five oh for me this year. Seems a lifetime ago since Sims closed. Spent many long, happy school holidays in the cab. What with health and safety etc, very few kids will get that sort of enjoyment these days!!
The platform you spoke about started off as a Bedford KM and was replaced by, I think, a Leyland Lynx 4 wheeler.
The three dumper maggies were bought for the big contract at Hunterston where they were building the iron ore terminal. They got the dumpers cheap as they were classed as plant so were used up at Craigie Quarry for 3, possibly 6, months before going on the road. I think every firm in the area was running to Hunterston, although Malcolm of Brookfield was the main contractor. I remember running slag fronm the old steel works at Kilbirnie down over the hill to Hunterston.
I had also been looking for photographs of Sims but didn’t find any until I contacted a woman in Stewarton who sent me the black and white one of Dan Armour’s Scania, OSD122H. Since then I’ve e-mailed Addie Mckie’s daughter who sent me the photograph of her father with his Merc. I assume the photograph was taken after the firm had closed it’s doors and the lorries parked up.
Any photos of McEwans?
been good chatting to you brought back best school holidays memories ever, health and safety remember shovelling draff into the feed screws at edingbugrgh to give old man a hand to load quicker ,i moved south in 1986 live in retford ,been on cranes and haulage most of my life ,worked heavy cranes for mammoet up to january took redundancy as they cut back uk fleet,working at walker of tuxford now good crack,take my lad with me on certain runs its only time i can get him up of bed ha ha, do you now anything of ian carswell he will be knocking on drove maggie ncs609p keep in touch regards davie
davie t:
thanks for the reply,your dad was he referred to as big alistair ? if it was can remember u riding with him,there way a machine driver from irvine who used to do coach trips on a weekend, the platform was a 4 wheeler on feed if i remember correctly, the maggie had a coal bulker body on it can you remember pop from beith always drunk day morning noon and night , i looked on a site for stewarton the bonnet town, and theres some pictures of sim trucks on there with old addie merc and a bison in the background thanks brought back a good memories . my uncle drove there ashort while douglas stevenson from galston left and when to mcewgan at galston .farguharson also used to take his son, me i was totally miffed when it shut my papa had only done 3 weeks back after having been off sick for 8 months then the place was dissolved ,he worked on sand haulage down near troon for a while then retired ,passed away 1999, hows your dad he must of retired i think your older than me iam 43 regards davie
seen in your post you mentiones dougie stevenson, i m good friends with dougie,he still working away at morrisons in bellshill.another ex mcewans man i think was hughie mcewan and jimmy dunnachie.hughie last time i heard was driving for j w morrison from strathaven and think jimmy has retired.
jtf 970 thanks for your info, dougie stevenson is davie stevenson nephew the sim driver who was my grandfather last till i seen dougie he was at my grand father funeral,does he still drink in the wee train?
davie t:
jtf 970 thanks for your info, dougie stevenson is davie stevenson nephew the sim driver who was my grandfather last till i seen dougie he was at my grand father funeral,does he still drink in the wee train?
very rarely does he drink in the wee train,frequents the barr social club or masons arms.i work with him at morrisons depot in bellshill.i go down to galston every 6 wks or so for an afternoons refreshment.
jtf send him my regards regards davie