A piece of Frankfort’s railroad history is looking better than ever, thanks to the careful work of local craftsmen Clint and Dick Perkins of Perkins Pinstriping & Signs.
The father-and-son team recently restored and repainted the lettering on the historic Nickel Plate Caboose located at TPA Park in Frankfort. The project was more than simply applying a fresh coat of paint—it was an effort to preserve an important piece of the community’s railroad heritage.
Perkins Pinstriping & Signs specializes in traditional hand-painted signs and pinstriping, along with gold and silver leafing, carved signs and vinyl graphics. For the Nickel Plate Caboose, however, the Perkins team relied on the traditional craft of hand lettering, bringing an authentic touch to the restoration.
Clint Perkins worked alongside his father, Dick, to carefully recreate the lettering on the caboose. Each letter was painted by hand, continuing a sign-painting tradition that has largely disappeared in an age of computer-cut vinyl and digital graphics.
The work drew praise from Frankfort Parks & Recreation, which expressed its appreciation for the Perkins team and their role in restoring the lettering on the historic caboose.
The Nickel Plate Caboose stands as a reminder of Frankfort’s deep connection to the railroad. For generations, railroads played an important role in the growth and development of the community, moving people, goods and agricultural products through the area. Preserving railroad artifacts such as the caboose allows residents and visitors to experience a tangible connection to that history.
The restoration also demonstrates how traditional craftsmanship can play an important role in historic preservation. Rather than simply replacing the old lettering with modern graphics, the Perkins family used the skills of professional sign painters to give the caboose an authentic appearance while helping protect its character for future generations.
For visitors to TPA Park, the freshly restored caboose is now more than an interesting piece of railroad equipment. Its carefully painted lettering helps tell the story of the railroad era and the people who worked on and around the Nickel Plate line.
Projects like this are a reminder that preserving local history often happens through the hands of skilled people in the community. In this case, Clint and Dick Perkins combined generations of sign-painting experience with a respect for Frankfort’s past, helping ensure that this distinctive piece of railroad history continues to stand proudly in TPA Park.
The Nickel Plate Caboose may be a relic of another era, but thanks to local craftsmanship and community pride, its story—and its lettering—will continue to be seen for years to come.
