Though a significant part of the Southern Railway did come out of the ETV&G, most of its infrastructure and financial worth came from the Richmond & Danville. These two companies, along with literally dozens of others, were reorganized into the Southern Railway in 1894 by JP Morgan.
Check out the book "The Great Richmond Terminal" by Maury Klein at
www.tarheelpress.comDusten, the ET&WNC as a company lasted until the early 1980s', when it was renamed simply the East Tennessee Railway. The line then ran from Johnson City, TN to Elizabethton. In the past 18 months, the line to Elizabethton has been abandoned (not yet torn up), but the company is seeemingly doing well as a switching operation between CSX (old Clinchfield) and NS (old Southern ) around Johnson City. The grand old enginehouse still stands at their headquarters.