Wire Train was formed as the Renegades in April 1983 in San Francisco by San Francisco State University students and guitarists Kevin Hunter and Kurt Herr with the rhythm section of Anders Rundblad (bass) and Frederico Gil-Sola (drums). The group signed to the local 415 label, also home to acts like Romeo Void and Translator, all of which found themselves with national distribution when 415 entered into a deal with Columbia Records. Wire Train's first album, ...In a Chamber, made the national charts in 1984, but the group began to suffer personnel changes. Gil-Sola was replaced by Brian Macleod for the second album, Between Two Words, after which Herr left, to be replaced by Jeffrey Trott. A third album, Ten Women, charted in 1987. The group's last two albums, Wire Train (1990) and No Soul No Strain (1992), appeared on MCA.