I'm very new to QGIS (working with version 3.12).
I'm trying to create a buffer of rail lines, but it's coming out much larger than it should be, e.g. when I try to show a 500-ft buffer, it results in a large circle whose radius far exceeds 500 ft.
I changed the CRS of both the QGIS project itself and the line so that they match, but with the same result. I'm also trying to do an intersect overlay with a line and a polygon and while the resulting layer appears on the panel, it does not appear in the project itself. Again, I matched up the CRS's of the two layers but to no avail.
Something is telling me these two issues are linked. Which problem(s) might I be having? I've attached an image for reference; that little black dot in the middle of the circle are the zoomed-out rail lines from which I'm trying to create a buffer. Again I'm very new to this so please explain as simply as possible as there's quite a bit of terminology I'm not familiar with.