By heating 2-chloromethyl-3,-5-dimethyl-4-methoxypyridine (1) either neat or in solution methoxy group cleavage was achieved, followed by dimerisation to poorly soluble 6,12-dihydro-1,3,7,9-tetramethyl-5H,11H-dipyrido[1,2-a:1',2'-d]pyrazine-2,8-dione (3) in almost quantitative yield with methyl chloride evolution. To our knowledge this is the first example of such Hilbert-Johnson preparation of dipyridopyrazinediones. Recrystallization of 3 from the hydrochloric acid yielded 6,12-dihydro-2,8-dihydroxy-1,3,7,9tetramethyl-dipyrido[1,2-a:1',2'-d]pyrazinediylium dichloride (4), neutralization of which gave back the pyrazine-2,8-dione 3. The molecular structures of both compounds 3 and 4 have been unambiguously confirmed by single crystal X-ray structure analysis.