AN MLG FLC ALMOST STRAYED ONTO AN ACTIVE RWY.

Narrative

LANDED RWY 24R. S ON 49; HOLD SHORT TXWY K INNER. GND CTL THEN SAID L (E) ON THE OUTER. HOLD SHORT OF 45. WE WERE FACING E ON TXWY J OUTER; SHORT OF 45. THE FO AND I WERE DISCUSSING WHETHER WE HAD MADE A WRONG TURN AND WERE ACTUALLY ON THE TXWY K INNER RATHER THAN TXWY J OUTER. WE WERE UNSURE OF OUR POS. (WE WERE IN FACT AT CORRECT POS.) FURTHER CONFUSING THE ISSUE WAS A COUPLE OF ACR ACFT FACING US HEAD-ON WBOUND ON TXWY J OUTER IN THE VICINITY OF 36. GND THEN INSTRUCTED US TO TAXI TO THE GATE ON THE OUTER. SINCE THERE WERE ACFT FACING US; BOTH THE FO AND I THOUGHT WE HAD MISTAKENLY TURNED E ON THE INNER RATHER THAN THE OUTER. WHEN GND CTL SAID CLRED TO THE GATE ON THE OUTER; WE BOTH CONCEDED WE HAD TURNED E ON THE INNER; AND GND CTL WANTED US TO TURN R (S) ON 45-J; TRANSITION TO THE OUTER; TURN L ON THE OUTER AND CONTINUE TO THE GATE. I TURNED R ON 45-J SBOUND. JUST AS I STRAIGHTENED OUT SBOUND; I SAW THE DOUBLE SOLID/DOUBLE DASH YELLOW MARKINGS ON 45-J AND REALIZED I WAS ABOUT TO ENTER A RWY (25R). AT THE SAME TIME I STARTED APPLYING BRAKES; A DIFFERENT CTLR SHOUTED 'XXXX STOP!' WE HAD COME TO A STOP WITH THE NOSE PAST THE DOUBLE SOLID/DOUBLE DASH 'HOLD' LINE; SBOUND ON 45-J; SHORT OF RWY 7L/25R. I LOOKED E TOWARD THE APCH END OF RWY 25R. THE RWY WAS CLR; NO ONE TAKING OFF OR LNDG. GND CTL TOLD US TO CONTACT TWR. WE CALLED TWR. THEY INSTRUCTED US TO PROCEED E ON RWY 25R AND CALL GND CTL EXITING THE RWY. GND CTL GAVE US A TELEPHONE NUMBER TO CALL. WE DISCUSSED THE SIT SEVERAL MINS. THE CTLR I TALKED WITH SUGGESTED BEING MORE CAREFUL -- I AGREED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR FLIES THE B-737-300 FOR A MAJOR ACR. HE HAD NOT FLOWN INTO LAX IN A LONG TIME AND HAD NEVER LANDED ON THE N SIDE BEFORE. HE WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE TAXI RTES FROM THE N SIDE. BOTH CREWMEN HAD THEIR ARPT DIAGRAMS OUT BUT TO NO AVAIL. SEEING SEVERAL ACFT NOSE-TO-NOSE WITH HIM WAS MOST DISCONCERTING. THEY WERE WAITING FOR THE RPTR'S ACFT. GND CTL WANTED THE RPTR TO GO RIGHT UP TO THE WAITING ACFT; THEN TURN L. THE RPTR WAS VERY CONCERNED ABOUT HAVING NO PLACE TO GO; SO HE MADE THE WRONG TURN. THERE WAS NO WX PROB OR LIGHTING PROB. THE CALL TO THE TWR WAS VERY CORDIAL AND THE RPTR 'FESSED UP' TO MAKING A MISTAKE.