AFTER NIGHT LNDG AT DFW; A B767 CREW HAD DIFFICULTY LOCATING TAXI ROUTE BECAUSE LIGHTS ON TXWY AND RWY SIGNS WERE NOT WORKING.

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AFTER LNDG RWY 17C IN DFW AT NIGHT AND EXITING RWY AT EL; TWR INSTRUCTED US TO 'HOLD SHORT RWY 17R AT EL.' APCHING THE INTXN OF TXWY EL AND RWY 17R ON EL THE TXWY/RWY SIGN WAS INSTALLED; BUT THE LIGHTS WERE NOT WORKING. A RWY INCURSION BY OUR AC ALMOST OCCURRED BECAUSE I WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE MY LOCATION. I INFORMED GND CTL AFTER XING RWY 17R OF THE OUTAGE AND THEY RESPONDED; 'OH YEAH; THERE ARE SEVERAL OUTAGES AND THEY ARE NOTAMED.' AFTER THE FLT I RECHKED THE NOTAMS AND ATIS AND FOUND NO MENTION OF THE SIGN OUTAGE. THE LACK OF THIS SIGN BEING ILLUMINATED COULD HAVE HAD A DISASTEROUS OUTCOME AS WE HELD SHORT JUST IN ENOUGH TIME TO WATCH AN ACFT DEPARTING RIGHT IN FRONT OF US. THE RESPONSE ATTITUDE FROM GND TWR ABOUT THE SIGN NOT ILLUMINATED WAS UNCONCERNED AND LACKADAISICAL. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED AFTER LNDG ON A REPOSITIONNING FLT; HE WAS GIVEN INSTRUCTIONS TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 17R. HE SAID HE WAS UNABLE TO IDENTIFY THE RWY UNTIL A DEPARTING ACR ACFT WAS OBSERVED AT THE LAST SECOND. HE SAID HE APPLIED HEAVY BRAKING TO STOP SHORT OF THE HOLD BARS AND WAS FORTUNATE NOT TO HAVE ANY PASSENGERS OR FLT ATTENDANTS ON BOARD. HE WAS ALSO VERY DISTURBED WITH THE CASUAL RESPONSE FROM CTLR ABOUT THE OUTAGE.