diff --git a/CEP/Pipeline/recipes/sip/bin/msss_imager_pipeline.py b/CEP/Pipeline/recipes/sip/bin/msss_imager_pipeline.py
index 23f9e6ac53db5fdf43deaeebfc2f7680e21bed35..68a4dffe087b19f6cffcf71446f364a818e2ba59 100755
--- a/CEP/Pipeline/recipes/sip/bin/msss_imager_pipeline.py
+++ b/CEP/Pipeline/recipes/sip/bin/msss_imager_pipeline.py
@@ -177,16 +177,28 @@ class msss_imager_pipeline(control):
         self.logger.debug(
             "Wrote output sky-image mapfile: {0}".format(output_image_mapfile))
 
+        # TODO: This is a backdoor option to manually add beamtables when these 
+        # missing on the provided ms. There is NO use case for users of the 
+        # pipeline
+        try:
+          add_beam_tables = number_of_major_cycles = self.parset.getbool(
+                                    "Imaging.addBeamTables")
+        except:
+          add_beam_tables = false
+            
+            
         # ******************************************************************
         # (1) prepare phase: copy and collect the ms
         concat_ms_map_path, timeslice_map_path, raw_ms_per_image_map_path, \
             processed_ms_dir = self._prepare_phase(input_mapfile,
-                                    target_mapfile)
+                                    target_mapfile, add_beam_tables)
 
         #We start with an empty source_list
         source_list = ""  # path to local sky model (list of 'found' sources)
         number_of_major_cycles = self.parset.getInt(
                                     "Imaging.number_of_major_cycles")
+
+                                    
         for idx_loop in range(number_of_major_cycles):
             # *****************************************************************
             # (2) Create dbs and sky model
@@ -457,7 +469,8 @@ class msss_imager_pipeline(control):
         return output_mapfile, max_baseline
 
     @xml_node
-    def _prepare_phase(self, input_ms_map_path, target_mapfile):
+    def _prepare_phase(self, input_ms_map_path, target_mapfile,
+        add_beam_tables):
         """
         Copy ms to correct location, combine the ms in slices and combine
         the time slices into a large virtual measurement set
@@ -493,7 +506,8 @@ class msss_imager_pipeline(control):
                 slices_mapfile=time_slices_mapfile,
                 raw_ms_per_image_mapfile=raw_ms_per_image_mapfile,
                 working_directory=self.scratch_directory,
-                processed_ms_dir=processed_ms_dir)
+                processed_ms_dir=processed_ms_dir,
+                add_beam_tables=add_beam_tables)
 
         #validate that the prepare phase produced the correct data
         output_keys = outputs.keys()
diff --git a/CEP/Pipeline/recipes/sip/master/imager_prepare.py b/CEP/Pipeline/recipes/sip/master/imager_prepare.py
index 28dc7f68f0859aaa54f95641e2a08fd29964c16d..3c971760466e1b3b026a2082c011e3d2c95be497 100644
--- a/CEP/Pipeline/recipes/sip/master/imager_prepare.py
+++ b/CEP/Pipeline/recipes/sip/master/imager_prepare.py
@@ -103,6 +103,11 @@ class imager_prepare(BaseRecipe, RemoteCommandRecipeMixIn):
         'processed_ms_dir': ingredient.StringField(
             '--processed-ms-dir',
             help="Path to directory for processed measurment sets"
+        ),
+        'add_beam_tables': ingredient.BoolField(
+            '--add_beam_tables',
+            default=false,
+            help="Developer option, adds beamtables to ms"
         )
     }
 
@@ -182,7 +187,8 @@ class imager_prepare(BaseRecipe, RemoteCommandRecipeMixIn):
                          self.inputs['asciistat_executable'],
                          self.inputs['statplot_executable'],
                          self.inputs['msselect_executable'],
-                         self.inputs['rficonsole_executable']]
+                         self.inputs['rficonsole_executable'],
+                         self.inputs['add_beam_tables']]
 
             jobs.append(ComputeJob(item.host, node_command, arguments))
 
diff --git a/CEP/Pipeline/recipes/sip/nodes/imager_prepare.py b/CEP/Pipeline/recipes/sip/nodes/imager_prepare.py
index 5c2d842711e7c444837b3789a00f61bbb9c5c86d..40aea1789643b1ec7600aa8f4df5f8607cdce408 100644
--- a/CEP/Pipeline/recipes/sip/nodes/imager_prepare.py
+++ b/CEP/Pipeline/recipes/sip/nodes/imager_prepare.py
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ class imager_prepare(LOFARnodeTCP):
              ndppp_executable, output_measurement_set,
             time_slices_per_image, subbands_per_group, raw_ms_mapfile,
             asciistat_executable, statplot_executable, msselect_executable,
-            rficonsole_executable):
+            rficonsole_executable, add_beam_tables):
         """
         Entry point for the node recipe
         """
@@ -110,7 +110,8 @@ class imager_prepare(LOFARnodeTCP):
 				
             #*****************************************************************
             # Add measurmenttables 
-            self.add_beam_tables(time_slices_path_list)
+            if add_beam_tables:
+                self.add_beam_tables(time_slices_path_list)
 
             #******************************************************************
             # 6. Perform the (virtual) concatenation of the timeslices