B737-700 CREW HAD A RWY INCURSION; AT NIGHT; AFTER THE CAPT TURNED THE LNDG LIGHTS OFF; AFTER XING A RWY. THE CAPT DID NOT DETECT THE HOLD SHORT LINE IN TIME TO STOP; USING THE TAXI LIGHT.

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PRIOR TO TAXI OUT; I REVIEWED THE 10-7 NOTES AND THE 10-9 PLATE; REVIEWING THE ANTICIPATED TAXI INSTRUCTIONS TO RWY 17. AFTER RECEIVING TAXI INSTRUCTIONS (TXWY D TO TXWY H TO RWY 17); I REVIEWED THE TAXI INSTRUCTIONS AND PLATE AGAIN AND TAXIED TO RWY 17. AFTER XING RWY 24 NBOUND ON TXWY H; I TURNED OFF MY EXTERIOR LIGHTS (WHICH I ALWAYS ILLUMINATE WHEN XING AN ACTIVE RWY). AS I LOOKED BACK AHEAD; I SAW THE HOLD BARS COME INTO THE ILLUMINATION OF THE TAXI LIGHT; AND BEGAN BRAKING SMOOTHLY (TAXI SPD WAS 12 KT). I WAS SURPRISED BY THE SIGHT OF THE HOLD BARS SO FAR BACK FROM THE RWY (APPROX 50 YARDS). AT FIRST I THOUGHT IT MUST BE AN ILS HOLD SHORT LINE (BEING SO FAR AWAY FROM THE RWY); BUT THEN CONFIRMED IT WAS 2 SOLID LINES AND THE 2 DASHED LINES. I LOOKED TO MY L FOR A RED SIGN AND STILL HALF EXPECTED TO SEE 'ILS;' BUT INSTEAD SAY '17.' I BROUGHT THE ACFT TO A SMOOTH STOP; WITH THE NOSE SLIGHTLY ACROSS THE RWY HOLD SHORT LINE. THE NOSE WAS STILL APPROX 40-50 YARDS FROM THE RWY. CONDITIONS WERE NIGHT; VMC. AS I CLRED VISUALLY THE APCH PATHS TO BOTH RWY 24 AND RWY 6; I DID NOT NOTICE THE LOW RED '17' SIGN. THE 10-9 PLATE DOES NOT DEPICT THE UNUSUAL LOCATION OF THIS HOLD SHORT LINE SO ABNORMALLY FAR FROM THE RWY EDGE; NOR DOES THE 10-7 ISSUE ANY CAUTION. CONSIDERATION SHOULD BE GIVEN TO ADDING A CAUTION NOTE TO OUR 10-7 PAGE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 614116: PRIOR TO PUSHBACK; THE CAPT AND I REVIEWED THE 10-9 PAGE FOR PROBABLE TAXI OUT TO RWY 17. I PAID CLOSE ATTN TO THE RTE ON THE 10-9 PAGE SINCE THIS WAS MY FIRST TIME AT MHT. AFTER RECEIVING TAXI CLRNC; WE ONCE AGAIN REVIEWED OUR CLRNC TO TAXI TO RWY 17; XING RWY 17 AT TXWY D; CONTINUE ON TXWY H TO RWY 17. AFTER XING RWY 6; I WAS INSIDE SWITCHING THE RADIO FREQ TO TWR FREQ. AFTER LOOKING OUTSIDE AND SEEING WE WERE STILL A FAIR DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE APCH END OF RWY 17; I ADJUSTED THE AIR CONDITIONING. WHILE LOOKING AT THE ACFT PANEL; THE CAPT BEGAN TO STOP THE ACFT AND COMMENTED ABOUT THE HOLD SHORT LINE. WE LOOKED AT THE SIGN TO SEE IF IT SAID 'ILS' BUT IT; IN FACT; WAS THE HOLD SHORT FOR RWY 17. THE ACFT NOSE WAS SLIGHTLY ACROSS THE HOLD SHORT; BUT STILL A GOOD 50 YARDS (ESTIMATED) FROM THE RWY THRESHOLD. MY ATTN IS NORMALLY OUTSIDE WHEN APCHING THE RWY; BUT I NEVER WOULD HAVE EXPECTED A HOLD SHORT THAT FAR FROM THE RWY. A NOTE ON THE 10-7 PAGE REGARDING THE POS OF THIS HOLD SHORT WOULD BE HELPFUL. I WILL BE MUCH MORE DILIGENT IN MY 'OUTSIDE' SCAN; ESPECIALLY AT UNFAMILIAR FIELDS.