Those are 'hot bulb' engines. The main features of them are low compression (3:1 is about the average I hear) and no complicated ignition system. They were used mainly during the end of the 1800s and during the first half of the 1900s. Since they had no electrical ignition system they were ideal for use in damp conditions. As long as your torch that got the bulb hot worked you could start it. The other handy thing about a hot bulb engine is that they'll pretty much run on any liquid that will burn. These are not high performance engines, and it's said that they're a real pain to get running right...but the payoff is that barring mechanical failure once you get them set up on a particular fuel they'll run indefinitely.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_bulb_engine