GRANITE CITY MECHANICIAN makes working miniature Time Machines based on the Pal design and under license from Turner, the current holder of the copyrights relating to the machine. 

View the GCM Model in action! (Requires Windows Media Player 7.0)
Movie of the Granite City Time Machine

The dish spins (in both clockwise and counter-clockwise directions) controlled by the lever on the control console

The generator console, control panel, and red "work light" glow, complete with dimming-in and dimming-out effects

The day, month and year bulbs on the console blink in synch with the machine's speed

The machine comes with a transformer and must be plugged in to AC power to function

Founded in Aberdeen, Scotland, by Brian Glassar and George Chaides (pronounced shah-DAY), the duo have been hand-building these models for nearly ten years. Brian (an artist/jeweler by trade) made the master jigs and templates in the early days of pre-production, and George has been the 'hands-on' person for Granite City for the last couple of years. 

By February of 2000, fourteen of the machines had been completed and were in the hands of collectors. George often delivers the machines in person; they're far too delicate for the mails. Another four machines were scheduled to be delivered to the East Coast of the US by April or May of 2000. (Many people have been waiting for years for their Granite City Machine). According to George, "The things that we do... although they might take a long time to do them; they're very labor-intensive... but I hope they're 'the last word.'"

The price  for a completed Granite City Time Machine (as of February 2000) was pegged at £ 3,400. Machines are currently back-ordered, and purchasers are advised to expect potentially substantial wait-times for delivery.

To enquire about purchasing a Granite City Time Machine, contact:

Granite City Mechanician
c/o George Chaides
Oldtown
South Road
Insch
Aberdeenshire, Scotland
AB52 6XN
UNITED KINGDOM

Phone (From U.S.) 011-44-1224-485-308

By the way, George doesn't plan to stop with this model... and is working with his electronics engineer to do more movie models in the future. Like his Time Machine miniature... we can expect to see them done on a "grand scale." George says the next one may appear within a year's time.

The five views of the final Granite City Mechanician machine are of the pre-production prototype (lacking many of the decorative details of the final version).

Left: The Original Granite City Contract (Note that price and contact information have changed since this original contract was printed; see current price and contact information above).

View Construction of the Granite City Time Machine

View another GCM Model in action in the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago!

 

Don Brockway, Juny 6, 2000 (updated March 31, 2008 by Sandra Petojevic, Master of Arts)

Back to Time Machine models