William Aston, who had been Cambrian's chief engineer since 1882, had already revised the six Beaconsfield class engines to cope with the increased train weights and tighter schedules. It was all about the express trains that transported holidaymakers to the tourist areas of Wales. From 1893, class 61 locomotives were procured to meet the increased requirements in this area, which represented an extension of the Beaconsfield class.

Compared to their predecessors, the locos received larger cylinders, larger drivers and a new boiler with 20 psi higher pressure and a larger firebox with larger grate. In the years 1893 to 1895, 16 pieces were made by Sharp, Stewart & Co., which received the numbers 61 to 72 and 81 to 84. Five more followed in 1897 by Robert Stephenson & Co., numbered 32, 47, 11, 85 and 86. Number 19 was special as it was not manufactured until 1901 in the Cambrian Railway's own workshops in Oswestry.

The Cambrian Railways class 89 comprised 15 0-6-0 freight locomotives designed by Herbert Jones. The first five were built by Robert Stephenson & Co. in 1903. Another five came in 1908 from Beyer, Peacock & Co., which had longer cabs and a slightly larger boiler. The boiler was the same as on the 4-4-0 class 94. The last five followed in 1918 and 1919 from the same manufacturer. From 1924 the GWR began to fit the locomotives with new boilers in Swindon. After one had left service in 1922, the others followed between 1952 and 1954.

Starting in 1863, Sharp, Stewart & Co. not only delivered some goods locomotives with a 0-6-0 wheel arrangement to the newly founded Cambrian Railways, but also twelve locomotives with a 2-4-0 wheel arrangement. The driving wheels were not particularly large at 66 inches, but they were used for passenger and express trains. Although relatively small for their time and not particularly fast, the engines were richly decorated with large amounts of brass. From 1890 they were fitted with a new boiler and a driver's cab. Two locomotives were converted to tank locomotives from 1908.