Association Meetings Behind the Scenes: History, Integration, and Technology.
Where did the Meetings come from? A short history of our integration
Although we, transport enthusiasts, have known and visited each other ‘since forever’, the real breakthrough happened in 2002. That was when the 1st Meeting of Public Transport Enthusiasts Associations took place in Szczecin. It was decided then that loose contacts were not enough and it was time for specifics – exchange of experiences at the board level and official cooperation. An iron rule was also established: every year a different team takes over the organizer’s baton.
The history of this event had its twists and turns and temporary stoppages, but the tradition has returned for good. Before we arrived in Konin, the meetings were reactivated, among others, in Gdańsk and Łódź, and in 2022 the host was Warsaw. Today it is a permanent point in the calendar of every self-respecting association.
What is this all about?
These are not boring deliberations at a table! Meetings are primarily exchange of knowledge and ‘battles’ for common causes. We discuss what hurts and excites us all: how to legally register monuments, how to obtain funds for rolling stock renovations, and how to deal with regulations. It is a great opportunity to see how colleagues from other cities solve problems that we also struggle with.
But let’s be honest – the most important thing is technical tourism and integration! The hosts always bend over backwards to show their ‘kingdom’ from behind the scenes. Just like in Konin, we entered the hydrogen bus halls, so at every meeting we go where an ordinary passenger is not allowed. We visit technical facilities, depots and workshops, test local unique items and exchange experiences by the bonfire. This is the moment of the year when all enthusiast Poland speaks with one voice!
Would you like to see a hydrogen bus refueling? Find out what happens to the bus when the hydrogen fuel cell starts up?
Join our next events and discover this and other secrets of hydrogen drives!
Who are the guests and hosts?
Who are the guests and hosts? Overview of the team from the XIII Meeting
The cream of the Polish enthusiast community met at this year’s meeting. Although we share the same passion for grease, rails, and tires, each organization has its own unique specificity. Here is a short ‘timetable’ of the event participants.
Meeting Hosts
RetroTrans Association (Konin / Ślesin)
RetroTrans is a relatively young but very active organization of transport enthusiasts from the Konin area. It was established in 2021 as the Association of Konin Public Transport Sympathizers, and a few months later it adopted the current name RetroTrans.
The association deals with cultivating the tradition of public transport, collecting souvenirs and historic vehicles, and organizing transport events – retro rides, educational events, and campaigns reminding about the culture of travel.
KMTP – Konin Public Transport Enthusiasts
KMTP grew out of the grassroots initiative of two enthusiasts who, around 2016, started informing passengers on Facebook about detours, delays, and changes in public transport in Konin – in response to the lack of transparent, official announcements. Over time, a larger group of people gathered around the profile, which, under the name ‘Konin Public Transport Enthusiasts’, began organizing trips, special rides, and activities to improve public transport in the city. For several years, KMTP was an important informal voice of passengers and transport enthusiasts in Konin. Currently, the group is no longer active, and its activity is of a historical/archival nature.
Guests – clubs and foundations from all over Poland
Zrobotyzowani – industrial tourism
Zrobotyzowani is an initiative established in 2019 that deals with the development of industrial tourism in Poland. The organizers combine a passion for technology, railways, and industry, creating trips to mines, steelworks, production plants, and technical museums, often to facilities that are inaccessible on a daily basis.
The meeting in Konin was a natural field of cooperation for Zrobotyzowani – here the worlds of public transport, energy industry, and industrial railways intersect.
Metro Enthusiasts Circle (Warsaw)
The Metro Enthusiasts Circle brings together people interested in the Warsaw underground railway and other means of rail transport. It operates within the Social Committee for the Construction of the Metro, organizes technical walks, special rides, and popularizes knowledge about the history and functioning of the metro in Warsaw. KMM cooperates with the Warsaw Metro and various partners – including Zrobotyzowani – on technical and charity events, such as WOŚP auctions with vouchers for visiting the metro’s technical facilities.
Public Transport Enthusiasts Clubs
Public Transport Enthusiasts Club in Warsaw (KMKM)
KMKM Warsaw is the oldest association of public transport enthusiasts in Poland – the club’s beginnings date back to April 11, 1980, when the first meeting of enthusiasts took place. Today, the club is known for its impressive collection of historic buses, trams, and trolleybuses, cooperation with city carriers, and organization of events such as the Long Night of Museums with the participation of historical rolling stock or Public Transport Days in Warsaw.
Old Trams Enthusiasts Club in Łódź (KMST)
The Łódź KMST comes directly from the Warsaw KMKM – the Łódź section was established in 1981, and in 2004 it was registered as an independent association.
The club focuses on documenting the history of Łódź tram transport, collecting souvenirs, and caring for historic wagons. It cooperates with MPK Łódź and the Museum of Public Transport, organizing special rides, occasional lines, and educational events.
Kraków Railway Modelers Club (KKMK)
The Kraków Railway Modelers Club was established in 1975, which makes it one of the oldest model railway associations in Poland.
KKMK combines the world of railways and public transport with modeling: it builds modular mockups, organizes exhibitions of mockups and dioramas, and cooperates in operating the Kraków Museum Line with historic tram and bus rolling stock. In 2025, the club celebrated its 50th anniversary, including a large exhibition of mockups at the Małopolska Science Center Cogiteon.
Public Transport Enthusiasts Club in Białystok
The history of KMKM in Białystok dates back to 2008, when the first founding meeting took place; in 2009, the club was entered into the National Court Register.
Since 2010, the Białystok club has been building a collection of old city buses – vehicles are renovated and used to operate special lines, occasional rides, and city events. The goal of KMKM is to save one copy of each model that drove on the streets of Białystok, as well as to popularize the history of transport in the region.
Urban Transport Enthusiasts Club in Chorzów Batory (KMTM)
KMTM officially started its activity on June 12, 1999, although the first transport events of its future members took place already in the mid-90s (the famous ‘Night Journey Without Exhaust Fumes’). The club operates in the Upper Silesian-Zagłębie Metropolis, documents the history of trams and buses, organizes special rides, depot open days, and tourist tram lines, including a historic wagon running between Katowice and Chorzów.
Gorzów Public Transport Enthusiasts Club (GKMKM)
The Gorzów Public Transport Enthusiasts Club was registered on April 2, 2001, and has been cooperating with MZK in Gorzów Wielkopolski from the beginning.
The club cares for the history of Gorzów public transport – it takes care of historic trams and buses, organizes occasional rides (e.g., anniversary runs of the N wagon), and popularizes knowledge about local public transport in the media and during city events.
Retro Depot Foundation
The Retro Depot Foundation has been formally operating since 2023, but its roots go back to 2016, when a group of enthusiasts bought the first Ikarus 280 with a history in PKM Sosnowiec, and then subsequent buses – including Jelcz M11 and Autosan H6. The foundation rescues, renovates, and makes available historic buses, organizing special rides, transport events, and occasional parties, mainly in Upper Silesia and Zagłębie. Its mission is both the protection of public transport heritage and the promotion of modern, environmentally friendly forms of travel.
Day I
We started the first day of the meeting with adventures and a small delay, but already at 17:00 we arrived at the Konin MZK depot, where we were warmly welcomed by the President, Mrs. Magdalena Przybyła, and her associates.
We visited, among others, the maintenance hall with a car wash station, a separate hall prepared specially for the needs of servicing hydrogen buses, and chargers for electric buses. We also went inside a Nesobus brand hydrogen bus and did two laps around the depot area.
The depot was built in 1985, and in about two years MZK will move to a new ‘hydrogen’ depot. We were transported by a specially prepared Pilea electric bus to the place where this new depot will be built. It was the last stage of the trip, after which we went towards the accommodation center.
On the way back, we also stopped for photos near the Pątnów power plant, which due to its shape is known as the Konin ‘Titanic’. The temperature was not favorable, but the light just after sunset was amazing!
Join our next events and discover other secrets of public transport!
Day II
We started the second day of the meeting very early and already at 9:00 we checked in at the gate of the Mining Railways workshops in Kazimierz Biskupi. Accompanied by representatives of the PAK Górnictwo company, we visited the locomotive depot, where we saw the famous ‘crocodiles’ – LEW EL2 electric locomotives and the signal box along with the battery room and relay room. On the way back, we also went to take a close look at ‘Dolores’ – a huge bucket wheel excavator and the showcase of KWB Konin.
At lunchtime, lectures awaited us from the President of MZK Konin about the future of hydrogen buses and colleagues from KMPT and Retrotrans about the history of enthusiast initiatives in Konin. After lunch, we also went for a ride on a TAM 190 to Licheń.
We ended the day with an integration bonfire, which was a great opportunity for joint discussions and exchange of experiences. It was also established that next year the meeting will be organized by the Retro Depot Foundation, so we will probably see you in Gdynia 😊
Day III – Closing
Ostatni dzień zjazdu rozpoczęliśmy śniadaniem, a następnie uczestnicy powoli ruszyli w drogę powrotną do swoich miast.
Dziękujemy za zaproszenie i do zobaczenia za rok!
Słowa kluczowe: XIII Zjazd Miłośników Komunikacji Miejskiej, zjazd miłośników komunikacji Konin, Stowarzyszenie RetroTrans Konin, Konińscy Miłośnicy Transportu Publicznego, retro autobusy Konin, zabytkowe autobusy miejskie, zabytkowe tramwaje w Polsce, kluby miłośników komunikacji miejskiej, miłośnicy transportu publicznego, turystyka komunikacyjna w Polsce, zjazd klubów komunikacyjnych, historia komunikacji miejskiej, pasjonaci autobusów i tramwajów, imprezy komunikacyjne Konin, wydarzenia dla miłośników komunikacji, fotorelacja zjazd komunikacji miejskiej, zlot zabytkowych autobusów, weekend z komunikacją miejską, komunikacja miejska Konin, kluby transportowe w Polsce, zjazd miłośników autobusów, fani komunikacji publicznej, wydarzenia retro transport, retro transport miejski, zjazd stowarzyszeń komunikacyjnych, pasjonaci kolei i tramwajów, spotkanie klubów komunikacji miejskiej, integracja miłośników transportu, wycieczki komunikacją miejską, blog o komunikacji miejskiej
Zdjęcia wykonali: Kacper Szmitka Awizonosz, Karol Lubaczewski
Relację przygotowała Paulina Kozłowska
