Turnouts are WORKING!!

OK, NObody told me that the red sheaths/covers for the control rods were supposed to be stuck through the hole in the Bullfrog turnout control!  While looking at some other Bullfrog control installations on the Internet, there seemed to be a secret that I had missed and that was why I was having a problem with so much slack -- I needed to have the control rod cover anchored at or near the controller.  Now I do:

Poor Focus, but Red Cover Poking through Controller is Evident!

In fact, I used a little wood glue around the cover in hopes that would help the anchor point.  I must admit, this was a little bit of "Duh, huh" -- seems obvious now.

Of course, that wasn't the last of my problems.  The third Bullfrog installed was for a single turnout for a siding.  When I tried to replace the turnout, I found that I had run the paper clip through the wrong hole/wrong tie.  Note the large hole from first try (with the switch control wire sticking through it) and the mark just below, where the hole SHOULD have been.  Don't know what I was thinking. . . .

Fixed that, although I'm still not sure why the center of the two holes don't line up on the roadbed.  I know I centered the "throw bar".

I had seen on the Internet -- as I searched for the secret of anchoring the cover at the controller -- that someone didn't like that once the knob was glued together, it was a pretty much permanent situation.  The knob would have to be broken apart to remove the attaching screw.  If I were making furniture for The Wife, I'd worry more, but this is a train layout and a little modification of the knob seemed in order.  Why not drill a hole in the outside layer of the knob to access the attaching screw?!  So I did:

Used inner circular layer to align for drilling 1/8" hole in outer layer.

Drilled 1/8" out to 11/64", I think -- same as center layer hole, shown.

Glued together "offline" -- front and back shown

Time to route cables out to fascia, but I was short one joiner sleeve for the red cover tubes.  Hmm, seems I ran across a length of tubing yesterday looking for screws.  Sure hope what's left is long enough to reach the container next time I bleed my brakes:

Got the rods to the edge, drilled 3/16" holes for the red covers to fit in,  Stuck the two control rods and red covers through the fascia, marked red covers, pulled out of fascia and off of inner control rods to cut red covers to length.  Re-installed red covers on inner rods and ran back out of fascia.  I've learned my lesson:  it's good to have red covers anchored; so I installed the little black clips provided with the control rods.

Making sure the turnouts were thrown to "normal" position (control rods fully in), I cut the control rods just past the red covers.  I'm thinking that the cutting of the control rods is going to distort the hollow core AND it's going to be tough to hold the control rods while the knob attaching screw is inserted.  So, I "threaded" the control rod by screwing in the attaching screw:

Don't know where the iPhone was focusing, but the idea is clear.

As I was removing the screw, I must have put some tension on the control rod and it moved to the "switched" position, showing an extra inch or two of rod outside the fascia!?!?!  Not so hard to hold onto the control rod after all.  Anyway, both knobs in place:

Closer is thrown to open crossover; distant is in normal
position -- siding not used.

Notice the small hole in the center of knob to access attaching screw.  Looks OK to me -- and I ALWAYS need to redo things.  I like the flexibility of removing the knobs if needed.

Although working under the layout, with most activities overhead, and dealing with small items is the pits, the final results are rewarding.

Nearer controller for siding; far controller for one crossover turnout.

The red cover on the far left curves around (behind the nearer controller) to the second crossover turnout, entering controller from the other side.  Then there's a clevis attached to a control rod that comes on around (and thus making a loop) and then goes to the far controller in photo.  Shoot, should have taken picture of clevis; it works pretty well although the added friction or resistance is noticeable at the control knot.  The circuitous path was needed to have the turnouts synchronized for the one-knob crossover control. 

Clipped the switch control wires with diag cutters -- now there are three 4-inch pieces of wire somewhere in the workshop (safety glasses recommended).   Only a slight adjustment in the placement of one turnout (tried to get adjustment at Bullfrog controller, but no help there) and the job was finished.  Ran the little switcher all around the layout with no trouble at the turnouts -- as long as the Engineer remembered which way the switches were thrown.