I like the Bullfrogs from Fastracks. Thier price for the control rods is actually fair so don’t hesitate to buy them, but you could go to an RC shop for very similar rods. The only drawback is Fastracks does charge for shipping, so the bigger your order the less each turnout comes out to.
http://www.handlaidtrack.com/BullFrog-Manual-Turnout-Control-s/2087.htm
I used the $6 kits and the $3.29 rod kit. $9.29 is half of the tortoise and you will still need a power supply and fascia switch for it. The Bullfrog does come with one electrical contact for signal or frog polarity and there is an option to add another if you want both. I also added longer throwbar wires as they had to travel through 4" of foam.
Heres some shots of how I utilized a couple on my 2’x6’ freemoN module. They control 2-#10 Atlas code 55 turnouts in a crossover and run off one knob. The throw is quite robust and clicks in nicely. Mine are mounted on foam and I was concerned about the small base not holding up to the stresses. My solution was to mount them on a small narrow piece of thin plywood then use liquid nails and 1-1/2" screws to add a bit more strength. You can screw into the foam but only a couple times before the hole becomes useless. If you look close you will see that I used a cleves that come with the rod kit I purchesed at the RC shop to allow one Bullfrog to piggyback off the other.
