A B737-300 FLC WONDERS WHERE THE HOLD SHORT LINES ARE FOR RWY 28 AT BWI DURING A NIGHT OP. PIC HOLDS 50 FT SHORT OF RWY EDGE LIGHTS. GND CTLR WONDERS IF THEY ARE CLR OF LNDG TFC AND THE RWY CONFINES.

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SEP/XA/98 I WAS THE FO ON A B737-300 BWI-MHT. WE WERE CLRED TO TAXI TO RWY 28. TXWY C IS THE NORMAL TAXI RTE. IT WAS NOTAMED CLOSED; AND ALSO ON ATIS. WE USED TXWY U. THE CAPT AND I WERE CAREFUL TO BE SURE WE WERE ON THE PROPER TXWY. WE WERE ON TXWY U. WE RAN THE PRETKOF CHKLIST. WE WERE DIRECTED TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 28 DUE TO TFC ON FINAL. THE TAXI LIGHT WAS ON WHILE TAXIING. WE ACKNOWLEDGED AND CONTINUED TO AN AREA WHERE IT LOOKED LIKE THE HOLD SHORT AREA WOULD BE. NEITHER OF US SAW ANY HOLD SHORT BARS AT ANY TIME. WE WERE BOTH LOOKING OUTSIDE THE WHOLE TIME. THE PRETKOF CHKLIST WAS PERFORMED LONG BEFORE THE HOLDING AREA. WE HELD SHORT 50 FT FROM THE RWY EDGE LIGHTS -- WELL CLR OF THE RWY. WE COULD SEE THE TFC ON FINAL AND WERE CONFIDENT WE WERE WELL CLR OF THE RWY. TWR CALMLY QUERIED US IF WE WERE 'ON THE RWY.' WE TRUTHFULLY REPLIED 'NO; WE WERE CLR.' THE TFC ON FINAL LANDED WITHOUT ANY EVENTS; NORMALLY. THAT'S ALL THAT WAS SAID. WE WERE CLRED FOR TKOF AND DEPARTED FOR MHT. THE HOLD SHORT AREA IS PITCH DARK. NO 'WIGWAGS' OR RED ILLUMINATION LIGHTS PRIOR TO THE RWY. NEITHER THE CAPT NOR MYSELF SAW ANY HOLD BARS OR LIGHTS. AND WE WATCHED THE ENTIRE TIME UNTIL WE REACHED WHAT LOOKED LIKE A SAFE DISTANCE FROM THE RWY. AFTER TWR QUERIED US WE THOUGHT 'MAYBE WE CROSSED THE HOLD SHORT BARS' PAINTED ON THE PAVEMENT. I DON'T KNOW IF WE DID; BUT I DON'T RECALL EVER SEEING ANY BARS. WE WERE NEVER A FACTOR TO THE PLANE ON FINAL AND WERE WELL CLR.