Looking back I see the Pentagon. How many times can you get a view like this? The track to the left leads to the coal dumper at the Pentagon power plant. As of the mid 1980s, this was the only thing left, a short stretch of the Rosslyn Branch remained so that cars could be shifted out at the site.
Comments:
I was the Conrail Trainmaster/road foreman of engines in D.C. office at Benning Yard) from 1980 to 1990 and I can confirm that until sometime in the late 80's this scene was much the same. Then, the track to the right ended just out of the above photo, was enough space to set over maybe 10 empty hopper cars so more loaded cars could be placed into the Pentagon heating plant. Sometime in the late 1980's service was discontinued when workers at the power plant accidently damaged the circa 1942 coal fired steam boilers and found them too difficult to repair. They brought in some portable gas fired boilers on wheels, built up housing around them for about a year then built a new permanent gas fired boiler to end rail service to the Pentagon.