Thanks for that video @Dachs. Of course, we all know the photo and where it was taken, what building it was etc, but I’ve never seen that video before - fascinating stuff.
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Well spotted @OldGreyFox! Must admit it had never occurred to me that these things would need painting. Crikey, they must have nerves of steel!
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Thanks everyone for your replies and videos, there is some very interesting stuff.
I don’t know why they don’t use galvanised @Ray_Cathode I wonder if it’s down to the cost.
I enjoyed the helicopter ride, those guys must be so skilled to work as quickly as they do.
Thanks @Besoeker I find anything electrical related fascinating… 
Ha Ha Yes Smithy, I don’t suppose they climb all the way down for a cup of tea and a sarny… 
If they need the toilet Minx, don’t stand underneath… 
I think I can remember that film @Boot I thought Pete Postlewaite was a brilliant actor, loved him in 'Brassed Off…
Awesome Photo and clip of film @Dachs, and unlike those blokes painting the pylons, they didn’t seem to be wearing any safety gear… 
A nice find @Maree it’s one of those jobs that doesn’t get much recognition…
Thanks @Bathsheba, I’m always thinking about the forum while I’m out and about, it was just a pity I didn’t take a leaf out of @d00d 's book and always carry my camera…
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Better still would be the use of COR-TEN Steel, but for some reason it has not caught on with the specifiers over here.
@LongDriver Maybe these pylons are pre-corten LD? Probably
are galvanised but need to be de-mossed occasionally to
stop the chance of the current tracking through the moss
when wet !!
These guys were probably using fungacide, hence the need to
to dump their overalls after a shift ?
Donkeyman! 
I don’t know if anyone has seen it, but I read only the other day a report that the government are considering replacing some of the electricity supply infrastructure on pylons with underground cables.
Yes, underground cables for electricity supply is commonplace in cities and built-up areas, but surely not in the countryside. The cost would be enormous, to say nothing of the disruption.
I thought they were made from galvanised steel.
The underground cables are not the EHT of the super-grid pylons. The cost of cable construction/insulation + cooling to run 400kv, 275kv. 132kv and 66kv cables underground would be totally prohibitive and that’s disregarding the cooling needed plus radiation effect of the buried cables. This is why London is served by 22kv cables and smaller locations by 11kv to 6kv.
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@ JBR, I expect some MP has buddies in the trenching
industry JB ??
Nod nod wink wink !?
Donkeyman! 
Yes, I understand. I don’t remember the source of the article and, to be honest, I didn’t read it all, but I think they were talking about more of the local areas. I do know that some people living in rural areas have their domestic supply being supplied by overhead cables, and that’s the normal 240V. Perhaps that’s the sort of thing they were suggesting.
Yes, I’ve seen that video before and very impressive it is too! Still, if birds can do it, so can people.
Incidentally, why do Americans in uniform - any uniform - always feel the need to wear their national flag on their clothing? Do even their bin men do that? 
Aww that’s a brilliant video Ray, thanks for posting.
Our domestic supply comes in at three phase @JBR … 440 volts and is taken off one phase. We had a power outage a couple of years ago and everything was working at half the power it should have been, every other house was involved, I think the neutral went down and it was pulling power from another phase and earth.
News just in…
On my walk today I noticed that the painters were back, except this time I had my camera with me. The mad sods were painting in the rain…
Did I mention that I was laying down when I took the shots…
Don’t know why that happened…
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Oh, I thought the pylons had fallen down. Well, it has been windy.
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Thi happens when the size of the pics is too large.
Hi @Dachs, I don’t think it is because they are too big, I’ve posted much larger photos before and they were alright.
The originals of these pylons were taken in portrait, but I always try and take them in Landscape. Due to Err…Technical issues…I couldn’t take them in landscape…(lets call it 'Operator Error!)…
Have you checked the resolution? Might be too high, too.
Can only say that it worked when I reduced it.
Thanks Dachs I’ll check it out… 
As someone who hates heights even looking at these photos makes me feel queasy.
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Fascinating video Dachs. They are not even holding on.
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