The Meherrin Valley Railway was a 3 and a half foot line that stretched from Margeretsville, North Carolina, to Hicksford, Virginia, and was formed from the ashes of the Meherrin Valley Railroad. The railroad was unique because it used wooden rails instead of the more conventional steel rails.

Because the company used wooden rails, they needed locomotives that were not too heavy for the wood. Most major steam builders of the 1880's didn't supply industrial locomotives that could be used on wooden rails except for a small firm in Richmond called the Tanner & Delaney Engine Company. In the early 1880's, when the railroad line was not yet finished and the railroad was known as the Meherrin Valley Railroad, the company bought two steam locomotives from Tanner & Delaney named the A. L. Shepard, and the E. T. D. Meyers.

Based on historical record, the Shepard came first followed by the Meyers three years later. Also, for the entire existence of both the Meherrin Valley Railroad and the Meherrin Valley Railway, the main offices and shops were located in Claresville, Virginia; now a ghost town. After only five years of service, The Meherrin Valley Railway went bankrupt and all 17.7 miles were abandoned in August of 1892.