Hi.
I'd like to add a bit to this thread, so here goes. As an historian I'm on the same level as Katex.
This is what I've got to say.
I'm siding with Retlaw on this mainly because he has documents to prove that The Railway Hotel was known under a different name and the "stange"name of Eagle St. and pubs and churches were the satnavs of our yesterdays.
Why was it called Eagle St. ? There must be an explanation somewhere, the names of streets, usually, came from the names of Mayors, Landowners,Churches etc.. Before the railway came to Accy. Eagle St. would not have exsisted, I dont think it was called after the name of the bird because they nested round there, it's not their type of habitat.So, after the decision to build the station, land acquired etc., word would have spread to outlying districts and people would arrive in Accy. looking for work, when they asked for directions to the site they would have been told to turn left/right at the Eagle and go up "yon track", or the workers after a hard days work wanting to refresh their thirst went down the "road to the Eagle" . When this track became the access road to the station it already had a name Eagle Road/ St. Later on when it became fashionable to be associated with anything "railway" the owner of the Eagle changed its name to The Railway Hotel. If the pub had been a church it would have been called St Whatevers St.. Though I can't see the workers wanting "refresh their thirst" with holy water.
Though it may not be the correct explanation and a long one it seems a logical one.
Tetti