The two steam plant modules date back to the 1920s.
From some testimonies, it has been deduced they were donated to the Istituto Motori in the 1990s, with the intermediation of Dr. Abatino, a CNR chemist and microscopist.
The engine was never used to conduct experimental tests, but positioned in the institute just for exhibition purposes.
In both modules, although with different morphology, you can observe the path of the steam from the high-pressure elements (smaller in size) to the high pressure elements (larger): each path is made up of three cylinders (high, medium and low pressure), for each module. All the cylinders are connected to the same crankshaft, via a cross-head connecting rod coupling, typical of machines with long stroke and large bore, still in use in large two-stroke diesel engines for naval use.
The plant had probably previously been used for industrial application.
On the smaller module, you can see what remains of wooden parts, designed to contain insulating material, to improve the performance of the cylinder, reducing thermal dispersion.
On the larger module, you can find a lever for the manual adjustment system of the steam flow rate/pressure to the cylinders, to regulate the power of the machine.