October 23, 2015 - NewsOK

ERICK — Residents in this town were treated to a rare sight Friday as the first passenger train in 48 years to pull into its downtown arrived to mark the opening of new service by Farmrail that will serve its newest employer, Badger Mining.

Times are tough in this western Oklahoma town of 1,100 people. The mayor knows it. The chamber folks know it. And Erick Junior High student Logan Whaley knows it. Main Street is home to the Roger Miller Museum, honoring a hometown boy who made Erick proud. It's on old Route 66 with its own legendary characters and locales. But residents admit — it's often a sleepy place.

“Never mistake sleepy for dead,” Whaley advised. Erick isn't dead — and the town sees the restoration of train service and the addition of even a few new jobs as a big boost to local morale.

Read more: http://m.newsok.com/article/5455627