diff --git a/Changelog b/Changelog
index d18244215..d147196cf 100644
--- a/Changelog
+++ b/Changelog
@@ -24,6 +24,9 @@
 	    of thing.  Patch thanks to David Vrabel <dvrabel@arcom.co.uk>
 	* Fix to init.c from Stuart Menefy <Stuart.Menefy@st.com> so that
 	    it always sets the controlling terminal before running any programs
+	* Fix to tr so it recognizes standard escape sequences.  Merged common
+	    escape seq. code from tr and echo into utility.c.  Fix thanks to
+	    Matt Kraai <kraai@alumni.carnegiemellon.edu>.
 
 	 -Erik Andersen
 
diff --git a/coreutils/echo.c b/coreutils/echo.c
index 4659e4bc6..6e279d1c6 100644
--- a/coreutils/echo.c
+++ b/coreutils/echo.c
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ extern int
 echo_main(int argc, char** argv)
 {
 	register char **ap;
-	register char *p;
+	char *p;
 	register char c;
 	int nflag = 0;
 	int eflag = 0;
@@ -65,28 +65,10 @@ echo_main(int argc, char** argv)
 	while ((p = *ap++) != NULL) {
 		while ((c = *p++) != '\0') {
 			if (c == '\\' && eflag) {
-				switch (c = *p++) {
-				case 'a':  c = '\007'; break;
-				case 'b':  c = '\b';  break;
-				case 'c':  exit( 0);		/* exit */
-				case 'f':  c = '\f';  break;
-				case 'n':  c = '\n';  break;
-				case 'r':  c = '\r';  break;
-				case 't':  c = '\t';  break;
-				case 'v':  c = '\v';  break;
-				case '\\':  break;		/* c = '\\' */
-				case '0': case '1': case '2': case '3':
-				case '4': case '5': case '6': case '7':
-					c -= '0';
-					if (*p >= '0' && *p <= '7')
-						c = c * 8 + (*p++ - '0');
-					if (*p >= '0' && *p <= '7')
-					c = c * 8 + (*p++ - '0');
-					break;
-				default:
-					p--;
-					break;
-				}
+				if (*p == 'c')
+					exit(0);
+				else
+					c = process_escape_sequence(&p);
 			}
 			putchar(c);
 		}
diff --git a/coreutils/tr.c b/coreutils/tr.c
index 3e7ba583c..48cdd47bd 100644
--- a/coreutils/tr.c
+++ b/coreutils/tr.c
@@ -111,22 +111,14 @@ static void map(register unsigned char *string1, register unsigned char *string2
 	}
 }
 
-static void expand(register char *arg, register unsigned char *buffer)
+static void expand(char *arg, register unsigned char *buffer)
 {
 	int i, ac;
 
 	while (*arg) {
 		if (*arg == '\\') {
 			arg++;
-			i = ac = 0;
-			if (*arg >= '0' && *arg <= '7') {
-				do {
-					ac = (ac << 3) + *arg++ - '0';
-					i++;
-				} while (i < 4 && *arg >= '0' && *arg <= '7');
-				*buffer++ = ac;
-			} else if (*arg != '\0')
-				*buffer++ = *arg++;
+			*buffer++ = process_escape_sequence(&arg);
 		} else if (*arg == '[') {
 			arg++;
 			i = *arg++;
diff --git a/echo.c b/echo.c
index 4659e4bc6..6e279d1c6 100644
--- a/echo.c
+++ b/echo.c
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ extern int
 echo_main(int argc, char** argv)
 {
 	register char **ap;
-	register char *p;
+	char *p;
 	register char c;
 	int nflag = 0;
 	int eflag = 0;
@@ -65,28 +65,10 @@ echo_main(int argc, char** argv)
 	while ((p = *ap++) != NULL) {
 		while ((c = *p++) != '\0') {
 			if (c == '\\' && eflag) {
-				switch (c = *p++) {
-				case 'a':  c = '\007'; break;
-				case 'b':  c = '\b';  break;
-				case 'c':  exit( 0);		/* exit */
-				case 'f':  c = '\f';  break;
-				case 'n':  c = '\n';  break;
-				case 'r':  c = '\r';  break;
-				case 't':  c = '\t';  break;
-				case 'v':  c = '\v';  break;
-				case '\\':  break;		/* c = '\\' */
-				case '0': case '1': case '2': case '3':
-				case '4': case '5': case '6': case '7':
-					c -= '0';
-					if (*p >= '0' && *p <= '7')
-						c = c * 8 + (*p++ - '0');
-					if (*p >= '0' && *p <= '7')
-					c = c * 8 + (*p++ - '0');
-					break;
-				default:
-					p--;
-					break;
-				}
+				if (*p == 'c')
+					exit(0);
+				else
+					c = process_escape_sequence(&p);
 			}
 			putchar(c);
 		}
diff --git a/internal.h b/internal.h
index 41a72e18a..27be05ee2 100644
--- a/internal.h
+++ b/internal.h
@@ -259,6 +259,7 @@ extern pid_t* findPidByName( char* pidName);
 extern void *xmalloc (size_t size);
 extern int find_real_root_device_name(char* name);
 extern char *get_line_from_file(FILE *file);
+extern char process_escape_sequence(char **ptr);
 
 /* These parse entries in /etc/passwd and /etc/group.  This is desirable
  * for BusyBox since we want to avoid using the glibc NSS stuff, which
diff --git a/tr.c b/tr.c
index 3e7ba583c..48cdd47bd 100644
--- a/tr.c
+++ b/tr.c
@@ -111,22 +111,14 @@ static void map(register unsigned char *string1, register unsigned char *string2
 	}
 }
 
-static void expand(register char *arg, register unsigned char *buffer)
+static void expand(char *arg, register unsigned char *buffer)
 {
 	int i, ac;
 
 	while (*arg) {
 		if (*arg == '\\') {
 			arg++;
-			i = ac = 0;
-			if (*arg >= '0' && *arg <= '7') {
-				do {
-					ac = (ac << 3) + *arg++ - '0';
-					i++;
-				} while (i < 4 && *arg >= '0' && *arg <= '7');
-				*buffer++ = ac;
-			} else if (*arg != '\0')
-				*buffer++ = *arg++;
+			*buffer++ = process_escape_sequence(&arg);
 		} else if (*arg == '[') {
 			arg++;
 			i = *arg++;
diff --git a/utility.c b/utility.c
index de53dbda8..f3af01f44 100644
--- a/utility.c
+++ b/utility.c
@@ -1617,6 +1617,51 @@ extern char *get_line_from_file(FILE *file)
 	return linebuf;
 }
 
+#if defined BB_ECHO || defined BB_TR
+char process_escape_sequence(char **ptr)
+{
+	char c;
+
+	switch (c = *(*ptr)++) {
+	case 'a':
+		c = '\a';
+		break;
+	case 'b':
+		c = '\b';
+		break;
+	case 'f':
+		c = '\f';
+		break;
+	case 'n':
+		c = '\n';
+		break;
+	case 't':
+		c = '\t';
+		break;
+	case 'v':
+		c = '\v';
+		break;
+	case '\\':
+		c = '\\';
+		break;
+	case '0': case '1': case '2': case '3':
+	case '4': case '5': case '6': case '7':
+		c -= '0';
+		if ('0' <= **ptr && **ptr <= '7') {
+			c = c * 8 + (*(*ptr)++ - '0');
+			if ('0' <= **ptr && **ptr <= '7')
+				c = c * 8 + (*(*ptr)++ - '0');
+		}
+		break;
+	default:
+		(*ptr)--;
+		c = '\\';
+		break;
+	}
+	return c;
+}
+#endif
+
 /* END CODE */
 /*
 Local Variables: