MIDDLEWICH STATION: 'THE DODGER' 1959

By Dave Roberts

On its way to Crewe the legendary 'Northwich Dodger' makes a stop at Middlewich station to pick up passengers, including the stylish 50s Mum and her baby on the right. The date is 14th March 1959 and the by now much reduced passenger service on the Middlewich line has less than a year to run. The service ended on the 2nd January 1960. Although, to the uninitiated, this looks at first glance like an old fashioned diesel train, closer inspection will show the steam locomotive (no 41229, for those who like to know these things) at the far end, opposite the water tower. The 'Dodger' was a push-pull or 'motor' train which ran loco-first in the Northwich direction and then simply reversed for the trip back to Crewe, the driver sitting in a compartment in the leading coach, while the fireman stayed on the footplate. Rumour has it that, on occasion, the driver stayed on the locomotive, rather than sit  in his cosy little cab in the train. Other rumours told of the fireman driving the train from his end, while the driver had a quick nap at the front but whether or not these scandalous accusations can be proved, we can't say. All water under the bridge now, of course, and no one came to any harm, however the crew decided to handle things. Motor trains began on this line in 1911.
By 1959 the only passenger services available were four trains a day in each direction between Northwich and Crewe (however, as members of the Rail Link Campaign committee will tell you, if you're looking for a local destination to run trains to, what station could be better than Crewe, for connections to the entire country?). Previously there had been services from Crewe to Liverpool and Warrington and, until 1931, a through coach to London on a service from Manchester Oxford Road. At one time, also, trains ran from Kidsgrove and Nantwich to Northwich via Middlewich
Although the 'Dodger' terminated at Northwich, certain services reversed at that Station and ran up to Acton Bridge, via the connection to the West Coast main line at Hartford.
I'm particularly fond of this photograph because it shows our station as it must have been on that long-ago day in 1959 when my Dad and I took one of the last 'Dodgers' to Crewe for a Royal occasion of some sort, the memory of which time has obscured. The reference in the late Geraldine Williams' comment (below) to going to Crewe 'to see the Queen' has turned into a red herring, as subsequent research shows no Royal visit to Crewe in 1959 (or anytime in the late 50s) by the Queen or any other Royal.

Whatever the truth of the matter, Dad and I did travel on The Dodger to Crewe in the train's last days. The seats in the compartment had been slashed (by Teddy Boys, Dad said) and the stuffing was all over the place.
This black and white print was passed to me by Allan Earl (it appears in his book 'Middlewich 1900-1950') but it has also been featured many times in the local press and in  many books about railways.
I'm indebted to Alan Wilkinson, formerly of Middlewich, for some of the information included here. His book 'Railways Across Mid-Cheshire' (Foxline Publications) contains a section on the history of the Middlewich Branch, illustrated with many photographs including this one.
The 'Dodger' could get you from Middlewich to Northwich in just seven minutes. It remains to be seen how long it will take with modern diesel traction. Let's hope it won't be too long before we get the chance to find out.

Originally published 20th July 2011
Revised and re-published 28th October 2025

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See also: MIDDLEWICH STATION TODAY

                 THE DODGER AT CREWE STATION 1955

                  THE DODGER (SONG) by Eamon Myles

Facebook Feedback (20th July 2011):

Geraldine Williams Ah! - the trusty old Dodger. It conveyed me to work in Northwich and provided a connection to the Chester train for my sister and others who attended the Ursuline Convent School. The only slight downside to the Dodger was in the winter when the heating system belted out dusty, hot air from under the seats which gave ladies a grimy hem to the backs of dresses and underskirts and played havoc with chilblain suffers like me!

Dave Roberts Excellent, Geraldine. That's exactly the kind of everyday detail we like to hear about. I wonder if it would be possible to recreate the 'Dodger'? Certainly several of the tank locos used still exist and there are push-pull coaches on preserved railways...I wonder. Just a pipedream, really, which will have to wait until the new station is built and open.

Geraldine Williams Re: your comments about the Dodger and going to see The Queen at Crewe, have you any recollections of when The Queen opened Leighton Hospital? I was working at St Mary's at the time and we had a phone call, I think from Mac Telfer, saying that the Royal Train would be passing through Middlewich Station just after lunch. We dug out every flag we could find from a drawer in the Presbytery and trooped the children down to the station. A train did pass through but all the windows seemed to be blanked off. The children dutifully waved their flags and then we trooped forlornly back to school, not knowing whether it had been The Queen's train or not!!

Dave Roberts I have heard the story before, about the Royal Train passing through with the blanked out windows, but I don't have any recollections myself about it.

MDR 170520

THE DODGER AT CREWE 1955

by Dave Roberts

From the old MRLC archive comes this friendly face from the past. No 41229 pulled (and pushed) the 'Dodger' between Crewe and Northwich, via Middlewich, for almost ten years until the service was withdrawn on January 2nd 1960. She was the most usual motive power for this service, although several of her sisters occasionally stood in for her.
The service, of course, was of much longer standing, dating back to the days of the London & North-Western Railway and the 'Dodger' had been pushed and pulled for many years by older types of engine. But 41229 and her sisters are the engines we all remember.
The train is pictured, in this famous Brian Morrison photo, at Crewe Station in 1955. The loco is standing under the celebrated 'Spotters' Bridge' and said spotters are out in full force. 1955 is a little too early, even for me, as I would only have been three years old at the time.
So I know I'm not among those present.
Those spotters would have thought 'The  Dodger' very small beer in those days, being far more interested in the big main line express engines in other parts of the railway Mecca of Crewe. What would they give to see her now?
The strange apparatus you can see on either side of the engine's boiler is part of the push-pull mechanism which allowed the train to operate in either direction: No 41229 pulled the train to Northwich, then pushed it back to Crewe, with the driver in a special compartment at the front of the leading coach. This can be seen in this equally famous photo, taken at Middlewich Station.

Click here for a full description and to find out more about The Dodger.

Certain trains would reverse at Northwich and travel, via a link onto the West Coast Main Line at Hartford, up to Acton Bridge Station.

In 1959 you could get from Northwich to Middlewich (and return) for 1s 2d (around 6p)

Update (August 2017)

When a link to this diary entry was posted on the Cheshire's Railways Facebook group, John Tackley wrote:

'I was an engineering apprentice at Crewe works from 1948 to 1952 when these locomotives were built, and some were supplied with special brake actuating valves to allow 'auto train' operation as on the 'Dodger'.
My training included time at Crewe North shed, which provided footplate staff for the 'Dodger'.
It was operated by footplate staff on 'light duties', usually recovering from health problems, as most Crewe North work was for heavy express working which required tremendous stamina.
'He's on the Dodger' automatically meant the driver and fireman were having an easy time - perhaps that's where the expression originated?'

Many thanks to John for this fascinating, authentic and 'from the horse's mouth' account of how the 'Dodger' was operated all those years ago.

Photo: Railway Modeller Magazine

First published 8th May 2017
Updated and re-published 6th August 2017