This is exactly what they should have done in my opinion. Released the OE carriages as one set, and released the Sapphire Star (based on the EN) separately.
We’d get an iconic set that many missed out on, an engine that looks fantastic, and an engine with the appropriate brick count, and a known quantity for powering.
The people who don’t care for the engine (“the OE was pulled by many different engines” etc) would be happy because they wouldn’t need to invest in an engine they didn’t want.
I feel like the price of this set will put it out of reach for many people. And then there’s the engine which has clearly been sacrificed. Separating them out would give people greater ability to purchase what the want.