AN MD88 LINES UP DURING APCH FOR THE WRONG RWY AT ATL; GA.

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ON ARR ON A FLT FROM DCA TO ATL THE ATL ARPT WAS VISUALLY ACQUIRED 30 MI AWAY WHILE THE ACFT WAS AT ALT. A DSNDING DOWNWIND TURN TO THE W AND BASE TURN TO THE S WAS BEING ACCOMPLISHED WHEN APCH ASKED IF WE HAD A VISUAL ON TFC TO RWY 8L. I GAVE AN AFFIRMATIVE REPLY (IT TURNED OUT TO BE TFC HDG FOR RWY 9R). WE WERE CLRED TO FLY A VISUAL FOLLOWING THE TFC TO RWY 8L. I STARTED TO FALL IN TRAIL OF THE TFC WHILE TURNING SE TOWARDS E. AT THIS TIME; THE SUN ANGLE AND HAZE IN THE MORNING PRODUCED LIMITED VISIBILITY. ALTHOUGH I HAD THE CORRECT ILS FREQ SET UP; I FAILED TO XCHK THE ELECTRONICS BECAUSE I WAS SO INTENT ON MAINTAINING A VISUAL AND FINDING THE RWYS. MY COPLT HAD FAILED TO TUNE HIS ILS IN A TIMELY MANNER AND WAS IN THE PROCESS OF TUNING IT WHEN I FLEW THROUGH THE LOC TOWARD THE WRONG RWY. SHORTLY AFTER THAT POINT; EVERYTHING HAPPENED AT THE SAME TIME; MEANING I VISUALLY REALIZED I WAS ALMOST TO THE S RWYS WHEN I SHOULD HAVE BEEN ON THE N. MY FO TOLD ME I NEEDED TO 'COME WAY L;' AND ATL APCH CTL SAID 'HEY; ACR XXX GET BACK ON YOUR OWN SIDE!' WE RETURNED TO RWY 8L AND LANDED. THE LESSONS LEARNED ARE NUMEROUS: 1) FINISH ALL CHKLISTS IN A TIMELY MANNER. IF THE FO NAV RADIO HAD BEEN SET PROPERLY; IT MIGHT HAVE POSSIBLY SAVED THE XOVER TOWARDS THE WRONG RWY. 2) WHEN CLRED FOR A VISUAL IN A HIGH DENSITY ACFT SIT; MAKE SURE THE CORRECT ACFT IS VISUALLY ACQUIRED. 3) EVEN WHEN FLYING A VISUAL; IF ELECTRONIC GUIDANCE IS AVAILABLE AND TUNED IN (IT WAS ON MY SIDE); YOU MUST LOOK AT IT AND BELIEVE IT FOR IT TO BE OF ANY HELP. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 382245: WHEN I GLANCED AT THE NAV AND CALLED 'LOC' ALIVE I REALIZED I WAS STILL ON THE VOR. QUICKLY TUNING AND IDENTING THE ILS I COULDN'T IMMEDIATELY UNDERSTAND WHY THE FLT MGMNT ANNUNCIATOR HADN'T CHANGED TO 'LOC CAPTURE.' LOOKING OUTSIDE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN SEVERAL MI; 3 THINGS HAPPENED SIMULTANEOUSLY. 1) I SAW THE ARPT AND CALLED FOR THE CAPT TO COME L. 2) THE CAPT REALIZED WE HAD FOLLOWED THE WRONG ACFT AFTER PICKING UP THE N RWYS VISUALLY. 3) APCH CTL CALLED; 'ACR GET BACK ON YOUR OWN SIDE.' APCHS SHOULD ALWAYS BE XCHKED USING BOTH INST AND VISUAL CUES; IF AVAILABLE; BY BOTH PLTS.