AN ACR DC8-73 FREIGHTER PASSED A HOLD SHORT LINE WITHOUT CLRNC. ERROR ADMITTED. NIGHT OP.

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OUR ACFT WAS CLRED TO TAXI TO RWY 19 AT SDF VIA TXWY P. AS WE PASSED TXWY G ON TXWY P; WE BECAME AWARE OF A B747 TAXIING TO RWY 19 ON TXWY D. AS WE APCHED INTXN D5; OUR TAXI SPD WAS ABOUT 7-8 KTS. THIS IS A POINT WHERE TXWY P AND TXWY D COME CLOSE TOGETHER AND IT WAS AT THIS POINT WE WERE OVERTAKEN BY THE B747. THE RELATIVELY CLOSE PROX OF THE 2 ACFT AT THIS LOCATION COMMANDED OUR ATTN. AFTER THE B747 PASSED US; WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 19. WE TRANSITIONED TO TXWY R AND STOPPED THE ACFT. WHEN CLRED FOR TKOF; WE REALIZED WE HAD MISSED THE HOLD SHORT LINE. WE BELIEVED THE FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THIS EVENT INCLUDED: TXWY LAYOUT AND DESIGN IN THIS AREA; POOR LIGHTING; INADEQUATE SIGNS; DISTR BY OVERTAKING ACFT. RECOMMENDATIONS: NOTAM. EVAL BY ARPT AUTH. SIGN; LIGHTING AND MARKING IMPROVEMENTS IN THIS AREA. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 359498: WE HAD BEEN CLRED TO TAXI TO RWY 19 AT SDF. WHILE TAXIING N ON TXWY R; WE OBSERVED A B747 OVERTAKING US ON THE PARALLEL TXWY D. ALTHOUGH WE WERE ON SEPARATE TXWYS; THE PROX OF OUR WINGTIPS WAS VERY CLOSE. THIS DISTR CAUSED US TO MISS THE HOLD SHORT LINE FOR RWY 19; WHICH IS IN A VERY INCONSPICUOUS; POORLY LIGHTED SPOT. I RECOMMEND THE ARPT AUTH IN SDF BETTER ILLUMINATE THE TAXI AREA APCHING RWY 17 AND RWY 19. FURTHERMORE; THE INSTALLATION OF RWY GUARD LIGHTS AND/OR CLRNC BAR LIGHTS WOULD BETTER ALERT THE PLT OF THE APCHING RWY AT WHAT IS A VERY CONFUSING INTXN. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR ACN #359498 REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR'S ACFT AND THE B747 WERE OF THE SAME ACR. THE RPTR HAS SINCE BEEN BACK TO SDF AND STATES THAT THE HOLD SHORT LINE IS 'ABOUT 100 YARDS FROM THE END OF RWY 19.' HE HAS SEEN THE CAPT'S RPT TO THE ASRS. THE CAPT HAS CONTACTED HIS ACR AND UNION SAFETY ABOUT THIS PROB. THE RPTR WILL CALL THE FAA SAFETY HOTLINE.