Engine (from Triplane of 1868) with boiler from F.J. Stringfellow Flying Machine of 1886

This is the engine and boiler from the triplane constructed by John Stringfellow for the Aeronautical Society's exhibition in 1868. It bears a strong resemblance to his other steam engines and is said to have been used subsequently by his son, F.J. Stringfellow. At the same exhibition Stringfellow exhibited a larger engine of about 1 hp (0.7 kW) and weighing only 6 kg (13 lbs) for which Stringfellow won a prize of £100 for the lightest engine in proportion to its power. This was later bought for study by Professor S.R Langley of the Smithsonian Institution.