SMA PLT MISTAKENLY MAKES AN ILS APCH TO THE WRONG RWY AT NIGHT DUE TO NOT BEING PREPARED FOR THE APCH SINCE HE WAS REFERRING TO THE WRONG INST APCH CHART.

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I FLY TO PHL ARPT 2 OR 3 TIMES A YR; AND CONSIDER IT A FAMILIAR ARPT. THE SHORT FLT FROM MY HOME BASE IS APPROX 20 MINS; AND I OFTEN CHOOSE TO DO IT VFR; BECAUSE THE FLT IS SO SHORT. AN IFR CLRNC IS CIRCUITOUS; AND CAN DOUBLE THE TIME IN THE AIR. I DECIDED I REALLY DIDN'T NEED IFR PLATES. NOV/WED/01 WAS STRICTLY A VFR FLT. THE PHL APCH ADVISED ME TO EXPECT LNDG RWY 35; THOUGH THE ATIS SAID THEY WERE LNDG RWY 26R. AS I HEADED WBOUND; I REQUESTED RWY 26; AS IT WOULD BE A STRAIGHT IN LNDG; AND A LITTLE CLOSER TO THE NEW GA TERMINAL. THE WIDESPREAD LIGHTS OF PHL FOOLED ME. PARTIALLY DUE TO A VERY THIN HAZE; 5 MI FROM THE ARPT I SAW THE RWY END ALIGNMENT LIGHTS TO RWYS 27R&L; BUT RWY 26 WAS NOT VISIBLE. I WAS CLRED TO DSND AT PLT'S DISCRETION; BUT AS I DIDN'T HAVE THE RWY IN SIGHT FOR ALIGNMENT OR AS A GUIDE FOR DSCNT; I REQUESTED THE MVA; AND WAS TOLD '1800 FT.' MAINTAINING THAT; AND NOW WITHIN 3 MI OF RWY 26; I STILL HADN'T FOUND IT. I CONFESSED; 'PHL; I DO NOT HAVE THE RWY.' THE CTLR RESPONDED WITH 'TURN R; 360 DEGS; CLB AND MAINTAIN 3000 FT.' SLIGHTLY FLABBERGASTED BY THIS SUDDEN CLRNC; I RESPONDED IN ERROR 'TURN L...;' BUT APCH CORRECTED MY TURN -- A L WOULD PUT ME ACROSS THE APCHS TO THE 2 OTHER ACTIVE RWYS. I APPROPRIATELY TURNED THE PLANE; AND STARTED TO CLB. I WAS EXPECTING VECTORS BACK TO THE ARPT; BUT THE CTLR QUERIED 'ARE YOU IFR EQUIPPED AND QUALIFIED?' TO WHICH I REPLIED 'IFR EQUIPPED AND QUALIFIED.' THE CTLR CLRED ME FOR THE ILS. I QUICKLY THUMBED THROUGH THE STACK OF 20 PHL INTL APCH PLATES. REASONABLY QUICKLY I CAME UP WITH THE RWY 27R ILS PLATE; SET THE OM SPEEZ IN THE ADF AND GPS; THE ILS FREQ IN THE NAV RADIO; AND CHKED THE INTERCEPT ALT WHILE ACCEPTING 2 MORE VECTORS. (REMEMBER I WAS SINGLE PLT.) I LUCKILY HAD THE FORESIGHT TO REMOVE THE PLATES FROM THE LEATHER APCH BINDERS I KEEP BEHIND THE COPLT SEAT; AND HAD THEM ALL CLIPPED TO THE YOKE. OF COURSE; I HAD NO THOUGHT I WOULD USE THEM ON A VFR NIGHT. THE TIGHT VECTORS MEANT I WAS APCHING THE LOC AT 90 DEGS; AND I REQUESTED A TURN TO THE R TO BETTER INTERCEPT LOC. I HAD VISIONS OF BLOWING DIRECTLY THROUGH THE LOC; REMEMBERING THERE WAS ALSO A RWY 27L ILS APCH. THE CTLR REPLIED WITH A 'TURN R; JOIN THE LOC; MAINTAIN 2000 FT UNTIL THE LOC; CLRED FOR THE ILS APCH;' TO WHICH I REPLIED 'CLRED FOR THE ILS APCH.' THE PLANE WAS NOW SQUARED AWAY FOR THE APCH; THE LOC CTRED; AND GS NEEDLE ALIVE. STRAIGHT AHEAD THE RWY LIGHTS OF RWY 27R WERE CLR. AT THIS POINT THE CTLR QUERIED 'I SHOW YOU LINED UP ON THE LOC FOR RWY 27R.' TO WHICH I REPLIED 'CORRECT; I'M JUST OUTSIDE SPEEZ.' THE CTLR INFORMED ME 'YOU WERE CLRED FOR THE RWY 26 ILS!' GULP! 'SORRY!' 'YOU ARE NOW CLRED FOR ILS RWY 27R. CONTACT THE TWR 118.5.' 'SORRY ABOUT THAT. TWR 118.5.' ALL 3 RWYS WERE NOW CLRLY VISIBLE. UPON REQUEST; THE TWR ALLOWED ME TO SIDESTEP TO RWY 26. I SHOULD HAVE REVIEWED THE PHL IFR PLATES. THEY WOULD HAVE REVEALED AN ILS ESTABLISHED FOR RWY 26. I SHOULD'VE HAD THAT LOC IN MY RADIO BEFORE THE FIRST APCH. THAT WOULD HAVE ASSURED FINDING RWY 26 ON THE FIRST PASS. ALSO; THE CTLR'S VECTORS TO THE ILS WERE CONFUSING; AND HAD I TUNED THE CORRECT ILS RWY 26; I PROBABLY WOULD NOT HAVE HAD ADEQUATE TIME FOR A TURN ON THE LOC. IN A SIT LIKE THIS IT WOULD HAVE BEEN HELPFUL FOR THE CTLR TO OFFER THE ILS FREQ. BOTH OF US SHOULD HAVE CLRLY RESPONDED WITH THE RWY NUMBER; AND EACH CONFIRMED WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE SAME APCH.